THE  ROBERT  E.  COWAN  COLLECTION 

PRESENTED   TO   THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHLIFORNIfi 


C,  P.  HUNTINGTON 


dUNE.  18Q7. 


flccessiori  No 


7^^// 


Class  no^T^-ff' 


Across  the  Isthmus 

to  California 


in  '52 


SARAH    MERRIAM    BROOKS 


ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 


TO 


CALIFORNIA 


IN    52 


BY 


SARAH     MERRIAM     BROOKS 


San  Francisco 
C.  A.  MuRDocK  &  Co.,  Printers 

1894 


?00?T 
Copyright,  1894, 

BY 

Sarah  Merriam  Brooks. 


ACROSS     THE     ISTHMUS 
TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52. 


PART   I. 

I  HAD  been  living  in  Boston  three  years  — 
three  years  of  the  most  exciting  times,  I 
think,  which  that  city  has  ever  experienced. 
I  went  in  '49,  and  left  in  '52. 

Tlieodore  Parker,  William  Lloyd  Garri- 
son, AYendell  Phillips,  Emerson,  and  Lowell 
were  all  in  the  lecture  field.  Kossuth  went 
there,  and  the  question  of  intervention  or 
non-intervention  was  brought  up  in  the  Sen- 
ate and  House,  and  speeches  from  the  bright- 
est minds  were  called  out.  Then  came  Jenny 
Lind  to  the  music-lovers,  and  Anna  Cora 
Mowatt  to  the  theatre-goers.  To  the  lovers 
of  the  exciting  and  horrible  the  Parkman 
murder  gave  plenty  of  material,  not  only 
there,  but  to  the  English-speaking  world  at 
large.  Swedenborg's  doctrines  had  taken 
root,  and  homoeopathy  was  coming  to  the 
front,  while  women  physicians,  with  Harriet 
K.  Hunt  at  their  head,  w^ere  securing  social 


4  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

recognition.  Advance  sheets  of  Dickens  came 
over  fortnightly,  and  little  coteries  of  ladies 
were  formed  here  and  there  to  read  them 
aloud.  Afterwards  came  a  most  distracting 
discussion  of  the  probable  outcome  of  the 
story.  The  first  School  of  Design  was  started 
in  a  small  room  over  a  store;  and  the  first 
woman's  rights  convention  —  of  Boston  wom- 
en mostly — was  held  in  Worcester.  Mesmer- 
ism and  table-tippings  were  looking  up,  and 
clairvoyants  were  doing  a  thriving  business, 
not  only  in  diagnosing  diseases,  but  in  pre- 
scribing for  them. 

In  those  years  the  Republican  party  got  its 
first  recognition  —  not  as  a  whole,  but  by  get- 
ting a  Locofoco  plank  inserted  in  a  party  plat- 
form. Webster  was  no  longer  the  idol  of  the 
Whigs.  His  advocacy  of  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Law  had  deposed  him,  and  the  city  went  wild 
over  the  attempts  to  enforce  that  law. 

A  friend  of  mine  was  sitting  quietly  at  her 
window  opening  on  Bowdoin  Square  one  day, 
when  she  saw  a  carriage  driven  in  from  Court 
Square,  a  block  away.  She  had  only  time  to 
notice  this,  when  a  black  man,  hatless  and 
shoeless,  assisted  by  two  other  black  men, 
came  running  in  from  Court  Square,  and 
jumping  into  the  carriage,  were  driven  quick- 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  5 

ly  away.  They  were  barely  out  of  sight  when 
a  crowd  of  people  of  all  classes  —  police,  civil- 
ians, and  many  women  —  came  whooping  and 
howling  in  from  Court  Square,  in  hot  chase 
after  the  black  men.  But  they  did  not  get 
them!  The  man  helped  away  was  Shadrack, 
the  only  fugitive  slave  who  was  publicly  res- 
cued from  the  workings  of  this  law. 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  Mr.  Parker's 
meeting-place  (then  the  old  Melodeon  Music 
Hall)  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  with 
people  who  were  either  sympathizers  with  him 
in  his  opposition  to  the  obnoxious  law  or  were 
curious  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say  of  an  act 
which  had  set  the  city  in  a  turmoil.  He 
opened  the  service  by  reading  from  a  little 
paper  he  held  in  his  hand,  that  "  Shadrack,  a 
fugitive  slave,  asked  the  prayers  of  this  church 
and  all  Christian  people  for  aid  in  seeking  his 
liberty."  After  reading  the  note,  amid  the 
most  profound  silence,  Mr.  Parker  added: 
"But  this  Shadrack  is  delivered  from  the 
hands  of  his  enemies!"  Then  such  applause 
went  up  from  the  people  as  it  is  impossible  to 
describe.  It  was  quite  against  Mr.  Parker's 
desire  that  any  applause  should  be  allowed  at 
his  services;  but  at  this  time  full  liberty  was 
given  to  the  pent-up  feelings  of  his  hearers. 


r 


6  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

Indeed,  I  doubt  if  he  thought  he  could  help 
it.  After  a  while  he  gently  raised  his  hands — 
his  way  of  enforcing  silence  —  and  went  on 
with  his  services  as  though  nothing  unusual 
had  happened.  His  friends  felt  that  this  was 
his  proper  course.  Others,  who  were  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  slave-holders,  went  away  much 
disappointed,  because  they  expected  a  fiery 
and  denunciatory  sermon,  and  only  heard  one 
of  love  and  charity  to  all  mankind.  To  me 
the  whole  scene  was  the  most  impressive  I 
had  ever  witnessed. 

I  had  friends  or  acquaintances  in  every 
movement  going  on,  and  no  one  could  help 
feeling  an  interest  when  every  topic  of  con- 
versation seemed  to  have  an  element  of  ex- 
citement. 

From  such  associations  and  surroundings  I 
was  suddenly  summoned  to  California.  My 
first  thought  was,  "Impossible!"  My  next, 
''Can  I  do  it?"  and  the  next,  "Yes,  this  is 
just  what  I  want — a  new  land,  a  chance  to 
live  what  I  have  learned,  to  be  an  actor  in  the 
world,  and  not  a  waiting  soul."  I  had  the 
usual  experience  of  persons  about  to  under- 
take what  was  then  considered  a  difficult  and 
hazardous  journey  for  a  man,  —  how  much 
more  for  a  w^oman  with  a  little  child  only 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  7 

three  and  a  half  years  old!  One  said  I  ought 
not  to  attempt  such  a  thing;  others  wished 
they  had  the  chance,  and  still  others  saw  all 
sorts  of  dangers  and  disasters  in  my  way.  A 
dear  sister  clung  beseechingly  to  me,  and  only 
gave  way  when  she  had  exacted  a  promise 
from  me  that  in  case  I  did  not  like  the  coun- 
try, or  there  were  hardships  to  endure,  I  would 
come  back  in  a  year.  I  said  "Yes,"  but  I 
thought "  No — most  decidedly  no ! "  I  resolved 
to  go  forward,  but  never  backward. 

It  took  a  long  time  then  to  arrange  prelim- 
inaries'. It  was  midwinter  when  I  decided  to 
go,  and  the  26th  of  April  was  the  first  date 
on  which  I  could  secure  tickets.  Alvin  Adams, 
the  king  of  expressmen,  was  a  personal  friend, 
and  he  undertook  the  selection  and  purchas- 
ing of  tickets,  and  doing  all  else  that  was 
possible  in  advance  for  my  comfort.  He  was 
anxious  I  should  go  at  that  time,  as  the 
steamers  "Illinois"  and  "Golden  Gate"  were 
advertised  to  make  a  trial  trip  then,  and  any- 
thing which  promised  a  lessening  in  time  of 
the  tedious  journey  was  much  to  be  desired. 

For  the  first  time  he  was  sending  a  messen- 
ger through  with  his  express  matter,  and  that 
gentleman  was  to  look  after  me  on  both  sides 
of  the  Isthmus.     But  in  crossing  the  Isthmus 


8  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

I  was  to  rely  upon  some  one  else,  as  he  would 
have  all  he  could  possibly  do  in  looking  after 
his  large  business.  Mr.  Adams  gave  me  an 
order  on  Covy  &  Co.,  at  Aspinwall,  for  especial 
transportation  for  myself  and  escort,  which 
meant  riding  and  baggage  animals,  and  a 
muleteer  for  our  own  use.  How  very  valuable 
it  was  to  me  will  be  seen  later  on. 

After  the  matter  of  tickets  was  settled  came 
the  next  important  one  of  trunks  and  ward- 
robe. A  friend  of  mine  had  spent  nine  months 
in  California,  and  returned  the  previous  fall. 
He  gave  me  full  instructions  about  my  bag- 
gage, w^hich  was  all  right;  but  when  it  came 
to  wardrobe,  his  ideas  were  somewhat  confused. 
He  had  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  moun- 
tains, where  it  was  exceedingly  warm,  but  start- 
ing home,  had  come  through  San  Francisco, 
and  found  it  quite  cool.  People  had  told  him 
it  was  never  warm  there,  and  if  he  knew  any 
one  going  there  to  advise  them  to  take  only 
thick  clothing.  So  between  his  experience  of 
extreme  heat  and  others  of  none  at  all,  there 
was  room  for  doubt  as  to  a  proper  selection. 
Only  one  thing  was  very  sure.  That  was,  I 
was  to  take  only  new  clothes.  Transportation 
was  so  expensive  it  was  useless  to  take  any 
which  would   not  last  until  goods  could   be 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  9 

sent  there.  I  did  the  best  I  could  with  these 
rather  conflicting  ideas,  and  took  all  the  good 
clothes  for  either  hot  or  cold  weather  which  I 
was  Dossessed  of,  and  bought  more,  which  I 
thought  might  be  needed.  But  oh,  how  I 
longed  for  some  old,  or  half-worn,  or  cheap 
things  on  that  long  journey!  Only  in  one 
particular  did  I  not  follow  any  advice, — and 
that  was  in  my  little  daughter's  wardrobe.  I 
had  read  how  dirty  a  ship  at  sea  could  be; 
and  for  her  I  took  everything  she  had,  how- 
ever old  it  might  be,  and  everything  new  that 
I  had  room  for. 

My  trunks  were  made  expressly  for  the 
trip  (I  have  them  now),  and  to  be  just  a  load 
for  a  mule, —  tw^o  trunks,  and  a  bonnet-box 
half  their  length,  but  otherwise  the  same. 
They  were  made  of  light  but  strong  wood, 
covered  with  sheepskin,  and  bound  with  many 
bands  of  steel.  The  trunks  were  to  go  on 
each  side  of  the  pack-saddle,  and  the  box  on 
top  and  between  them ;  and  the  space  left  by 
lack  of  length  was  to  be  utilized  for  anything 
I  might  wish  afterwards.  Of  the  trunks,  one 
was  for  packing,  with  no  compartments;  the 
other  had  a  space  divided  off  in  the  top  and 
one  tray.     The  bonnet-box  had  only  one  tray. 

It  seems  incredible  to  me  now  the  amount 


OW  THE 

TJNIVERSITT 


;2fLC^LIF0RH\^ 


10  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

of  clothing  I  put  in  those  trunks.  I  began 
packing  a  month  before  I  started,  and  as  the 
contents  settled,  I  filled  in  more.  The  night 
before  I  left,  my  trunks  were  locked;  but  the 
box  was  left  open  for  those  things  which  are 
sure  to  turn  up  at  the  last  moment.  Several 
friends  came  in  during  the  evening  bringing 
little  gifts,  and  these  were  put  in  the  tray  with 
other  light  articles.  In  the  lower  part  were 
eight  bonnets,  twenty-three  pairs  of  under- 
sleeves  —  everybody  w^ore  undersleeves  with 
«very  dress  then,  —  besides  collars,  pocket- 
handkerchiefs,  veils,  and  many  other  things 
which  would  not  bear  packing  with  heavy 
clothes.  I  mention  these  things  now,  as  that 
box  played  quite  an  important  part  in  my 
Isthmus  experience. 

The  parting  with  my  friends  came  at  last, 
and  while  it  seemed  hard  to  them,  there  was 
no  sadness  in  it  for  me.  I  felt  brave,  hopeful, 
and  happy.  My  friend  of  California  experi- 
ence was  to  go  with  me  to  New  York  and  see 
me  safely  on  board  ship.  We  arrived  late 
Saturday  night,  and  went  to  the  Irving  House. 
A  drizzling  rain  had  accompanied  us  during 
the  afternoon,  and  had  shut  out  all  objects  of 
interest  which  might  have  helped  to  pass  the 
time   during  that   tedious   car   ride.     But  a 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  11 

cheerful  fire  and  a  good  supper  made  amends, 
and  a  sound  sleep  put  us  in  spirits  again. 

Sunday  my  friend  left  me  to  visit  a  brother 
in  Brooklyn.  Lena  being  busy  with  her  doll 
and  picture-books,  I  felt  rather  at  a  loss  for 
something  to  interest  me,  when  I  noticed  a 
book  which  had  been  handed  me  by  a  friend 
who  bade  me  good-bye  at  the  depot  in  Boston. 
He  gave  it  to  me  with  the  remark  that  it  was 
a  new  book — just  out,  in  fact, — dealing  largely 
with  a  subject  in  which  we  were  both  much 
interested,  and  he  thought  I  might  like  to 
read  it  on  the  steamer. 

I  meant  to  keep  it  for  that  purpose,  but 
had  read  only  a  few  lines  when  I  became 
entirely  absorbed  in  its  pages.  The  book 
was  a  paper-covered  edition  of  ''Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin."  I  read  on  until  tears  blinded  my 
eyes.  Then  I  realized  this  was  no  reading 
for  one  who  had  begun  to  experience  the  feel- 
ing of  being  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  and 
I  resolutely  shut  the  book  and  put  it  out  of 
sight,  so  that  I  should  not  be  tempted  to  take 
it  up  again — at  least  not  while  I  was  alone. 
I  little  thought  then  how  much  in  touch  my 
feelings  were  with  a  waking  world  —  awaking 
to  the  awful  importance  of  the  Slavery  ques- 
tion, which  came  so  near  wrecking  our  Union. 


12  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

While  at  breakfast  that  morning  I  thought 
I  had  noticed  some  peculiar  movements  about 
the  waiters  in  the  dining-hall.  I  fancied  there 
was  whispering  among  them,  and  rather 
pointed  observation  of  me.  I  asked  my  friend 
if  it  was  so,  and  if  so,  why?  He  said  the 
direction  on  my  baggage  had  been  noticed, 
and  he  had  been  asked  if  I  did  not  want  an 
attendant;  that  I  could  have  one  on  my  own 
terms,  if  I  could  secure  a  passage  for  one. 
Now%  going  down  to  lunch  alone,  I  was  ap- 
proached by  one  of  the  waiters,  a  fine-looking 
mulatto,  who  made  a  similar  offer.  He  would 
serve  me  on  the  journey,  and  work  for  me  after 
getting  to  California  for  any  time  I  might 
name,  if  I  would  just  take  him  there.  As 
servants  could  go  for  half  fare,  the  offer  seemed 
tempting,  but  one  which  I  had  to  decline,  as 
also  that  made  by  one  of  the  girls,  in  almost 
the  same  words.  The  desire  of  this  class  to 
get  to  California  was  so  great  they  would  prom- 
ise almost  any  terms  to  accomplish  that  end. 

My  experience  afterwards  proved  that  very 
few  who  took  them  at  their  word  got  any 
benefit  from  them.  They  would  promise  to 
work  for  a  certain  length  of  time  in  payment 
for  their  passage-money,  and  when  they  got 
through  would  desert  at  the  first  offer  of  in- 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  13 

creased  wages.  There  was  no  way  to  keep 
them  to  their  word,  and  servants  were  so 
scarce  that  few  people  were  above  getting 
them  away,  even  from  a  friend,  if  doubling 
or  trebling  their  wages  would  do  it. 

The  "Illinois"  was  to  sail  Monday  after- 
noon, April  26th.  We  went  down  early  to 
avoid  the  rush,  if  possible;  but  there  was  no 
avoiding  that  with  all  the  people  who  were  to 
go.  The  crowd  pushed  and  pulled,  shouted 
and  swore,  and  somehow  we  got  on  board,  and 
halted  in  a  sort  of  ante-saloon.  With  my 
wraps  and  satchels  disposed  around  me,  I 
waited  for  my  friend  to  find  my  berth.  He 
w^as  gone  so  long  that  I  began  to  feel  some- 
what anxious,  w^hen  he  returned  w^ith  the 
information  that  the  stateroom  as  a  whole 
was  taken  and  occupied  by  a  party  from  New 
York.  How  could  this  be  possible,  I  said, 
when  there  w^as  my  ticket,  calling  for  the 
lower  berth  in  stateroom  K,  first  cabin,  one 
of  the  very  best  on  the  steamer?  Mr.  Adams 
liad  taken  great  pains  to  get  this  particular 
berth,  for  which  I  had  paid  three  hundred 
and  fifteen  dollars,  and  here  I  was  with  ap- 
parently no  berth  at  all. 

The  noise  and  confusion,  the  ringing  of 
bells,  the  shouting  of  all  to  come  aboard,  and 


14  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

finally  the  orders  for  all  visitors  to  go  on  shore, 
so  upset  me  that  I  made  no  remonstrance  when 
my  friend  told  he  me  had  given  my  ticket 
to  the  purser,  who  had  assured  him  I  should 
be  comfortably  provided  for  as  soon  as  the 
bustle  had  a  little  subsided.  He  bade  me 
good-bye,  and  was  gone  before  I  fully  realized 
that  1  had  nothing  to  show  that  I  had  paid  my 
fare  and  was  entitled  to  my  berth.  At  first  I 
felt  dismayed,  and  then  a  little  angry,  at  my 
situation.  I  had  travelled  thousands  of  miles 
alone  without  a  mishap;  and  here  I  was  sup- 
posed to  be  under  the  care  of  a  competent  es- 
cort, and  yet  left  in  a  most  awkward  position. 

I  do  not  know  how  long  I  sat  where  my 
friend  left  me;  but  matters  had  quieted  down, 
everybody  seemed  to  have  got  their  berths, 
and  still  I  was  there.  At  last  the  stewardess 
came  along  and  asked  me  why  I  was  there.  I 
said  I  was  waiting  to  find  out,  and  if  she 
would  ask  the  purser,  perhaps  she  would  find 
out.  After  a  while  she  came  back  with  word 
that  I  could  have  a  berth  in  stateroom  K, 
second  cabin,  for  the  present,  and  afterwards 
some  other  arrangement  might  be  made.  But 
no  other  arrangement  ever  was  made,  and  all 
my  efforts  to  that  end  were  fruitless.  I  could 
not  get  the  purser  to  see  me,  and  any  appeal 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  15 

to  the  captain  was  answered  by  referring  me 
to  the  purser. 

I  found  out  later  on  that  this  was  not  an 
uncommon  occurrence.  Some  one  in  New 
York  resold  staterooms,  and  trusted  to  getting 
their  people  on  board  before  the  fraud  was 
discovered  and  too  late  to  make  any  trou- 
ble about  it.  Generally,  it  was  perfectly  safe 
to  do  this, —  for  in  the  scramble  and  anxiety 
of  people  to  get  to  California,  a  little  thing 
like  being  cheated  out  of  a  berth,  and  having 
to  sleep  on  a  table  or  the  floor,  didn't  count 
for  much  with  single  men,  and  usually  they 
were  the  sufferers.  When  I  wrote  back  to- 
Mr.  Adams  of  my  experience,  he  went  on  to 
New  York  and  had  an  overhauling  of  the 
business.  Many  wrongs  of  this  kind  came  to 
light,  and  after  this  some  safeguard  was  placed 
around  ticket-holders  so  they  were  sure  of 
getting  what  they  had  paid  for.  Who  pock- 
eted the  money  obtained  by  double  and  triple 
selling  of  tickets  was  never  found  out,  as  far 
as  I  know. 

After  being  fully  convinced  that  nothing 
could  be  gained  by  holding  out  for  my  rights 
any  longer,  I  followed  the  stewardess  to  the 
berth  allotted  me  in  the  second  cabin.  This 
second  cabin  had  a  row  of  staterooms  around 


16  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

the  side,  the  centre  being  entirely  taken  up  by 
standees,  each  having  two  cots,  entirely  with- 
out pillows  or  bedding.  The  occupants  were 
supposed  to  provide  for  themselves  in  that 
respect.  I  was  shown  to  stateroom  K,  and 
found  it  so  fully  occupied  there  seemed  no 
room  for  me.  Upon  interviewing  the  per- 
sons there,  I  found  we  had  all  been  treated 
alike.  We  were  entitled  to  stateroom  K,  first 
<jabin,  but  had  been  ousted  by  the  ''party 
from  New  York."  There  were  two  berths  and 
a  sofa  in  our  stateroom,  and  we  soon  came  to 
an  amicable  arrangement  about  places.  The 
woman  with  two  children  took  the  lower  berth, 
the  other  woman  with  one  child  took  the  sofa, 
and  I  took  the  upper  berth  with  my  little  girl. 
As  soon  as  we  had  arranged  our  belongings 
to  the  best  advantage,  we  went  to  the  saloon 
for  our  supper,  the  bell  having  rung  while  we 
were  getting  settled.  We  had  taken  only  a  few 
mouthfuls  when  a  sea  struck  us,  and  some  of 
those  who  had  outside  seats  were  landed  on 
the  floor.  Those  who  had  divan  seats  fared 
better,  but  with  stomachs  too  unsteady  to  stay 
longer  at  the  table.  We  were  told  we  were  off 
Sandy  Hook,  and  might  expect  rough  sailing 
for  some  time.  I  took  Lena  and  found  my 
way  to  my  room,  too  sick  to  do  anything  but 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  17 

creep  into  our  berth,  as  we  thought  for  a  little 
while,  but  which  neither  of  us  left  for  two 
days  and  nights.  Occasionally  I  would  rouse 
a  little  and  look  around,  only  to  see  every 
available  spot  in  the  room  occupied  with  all 
kinds  of  food  and  liquids,  which  had  been 
ordered  by  my  roommates,  hoping  thereby  to 
tempt  a  seasick  appetite.  Every  opening 
which  could  let  in  a  breath  of  fresh  air  was 
hermetically  sealed.  Let  those  who  have  suf- 
fered at  sea  imagine  the  result!  During  this 
time  we  had  only  once  some  gruel  brought  us, 
of  which  we  ate  very  little,  and  now,  the  third 
morning  out,  were  completely  exhausted  and 
consumed  wuth  thirst. 

We  had  come  into  the  Gulf  Stream,  and,  of 
course,  a  much  warmer  climate,  and  found 
the  garments  we  left  New  York  in  anything 
but  comfortable.  I  was  w^ondering  whether 
I  should  make  an  effort  to  get  up  and  dress, 
or  lie  quiet  and  just  die  easy — an  event  which 
seemed  very  likely  to  happen, —  when  I  was 
conscious  of  an  unusual  noise  and  loud  talk- 
ing about  our  door,  and  then  a  demand  for 
admission.  One  of  the  women  answered,  and 
then  brought  me  a  card,  which  proved  to  be 
that  of  my  escort  on  the  steamer,  Mr.  Adams' 
express  messenger. 


18  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

It  seemed  that  as  soon  as  he  had  taken  care 
of  his  business  that  first  night  out,  he  began 
to  look  for  us.  Some  one  told  him  persons 
answering  our  description  had  been  taken  sick 
at  the  supper-table  and  had  gone  to  their  berth. 
As  this  was  to  be  expected,  he  thought  no 
more  of  it  that  night.  The  next  day  the  same 
answer  was  given;  but  when  the  second  day 
passed  and  we  did  not  appear,  he  became  anx- 
ious, and  now,  the  third  morning  out,  began  a 
personal  search,  which  resulted  in  his  appear- 
ance at  our  stateroom.  He  urged  me  to  get 
on  deck,  if  possible,  fearing  if  I  stayed  longer 
in  that  close  atmosphere  I  would  bring  on  a 
fever. 

I  told  him  if  I  could  have  the  room  to 
myself  for  half  an  hour,  the  unpleasant  ac- 
cumulation removed,  and  the  port  opened,  I 
might  possibly  manage  it.  As  my  roommates 
had  been  in  possession  of  all  the  available 
space  except  my  berth  during  the  two  days 
and  three  nights,  I  did  not  consider  my  re- 
quest unreasonable.  But  although  it  was 
granted,  I  realized  I  had  given  offence.  My 
first  move  was  to  open  the  port  and  transom 
and  let  in  the  blessed  pure  air,  which  of  itself 
was  enough  to  revive  one.  Lena  was  delighted 
at  the  prospect  of  getting  out  of  that  dreary 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  19 

room,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  made  her  present- 
able Mr.  E took  her  on  deck.     By  going 

slowly  and  taking  an  occasional  rest,  I  accom- 
plished a  sponge-bath — mostly  cologne — and 
got  into  more  comfortable  clothes.  When  thus 
far  along,  I  was  in  doubt  of  being  able  to  as- 
cend the  stairs;  but  upon  opening  the  door 
found  my  escort  and  a  friend  waiting  to  help 
me  on  deck.  There  I  found  a  standee,  with 
pillow  and  blanket,  and  the  stewardess  wait- 
ing with  a  dish  of  rice  and  an  ice-cold  drink. 

When  Lena  and  I  had  eaten  and  drunk, 
I  quite  gave  up  the  idea  of  dying  just  then. 
There  w^as  an  awning  over  that  part  of  the 
deck,  but  lying  there  on  the  cot,  my  eyes 
seemed  on  a  level  with  the  ocean,  which 
looked  bright  and  glorious  in  the  morning 
sun.  Every  breath  I  drew  gave  me  life  and 
strength,  and  I  began  to  feel  an  interest  in 
my  surroundings.  There  were  several  stan- 
dees around,  occupied  by  those  who  had  been 
seriously  ill,  and  could  gain  no  strength  while 
confined  to  their  berths. 

I  had  only  been  on  deck  a  short  time  when 
a  gentleman  came  to  the  standee  next  mine 
and  said  something  to  the  lady  lying  there. 
I  recognized  him  at  once  as  having  been  head 
salesman  in  a  large  dry-goods  establishment 


20  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

in  Boston,  where  I  had  done  much  of  my  pur- 
chasing. As  soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  gave  me  a 
cordial  greeting  and  then  introduced  me  to 
his  wife,  a  lovely  woman,  who  had  been  cru- 
elly seasick,  and  was  still  unable  to  leave  her 
cot.  From  that  time  on,  no  brother  and  sister 
could  have  been  kinder.  They  were  going 
to  Stockj;on,  he  having  bought  a  partnership 
in  a  wholesale  grocery  business,  intending  to 
stay  there  two  years,  and  then  return  to  a 
home  in  New  England,  which  he  had  lately 
purchased. 

I  wish  to  say  here  that  of  all  the  people 
whom  I  met  who  were  going  to  California  for 
"  two  years  and  for  a  certain  sum  of  money," 
—  and  their  name  was  legion  —  he  and  one 
other  were  the  only  persons  who,  to  my  knowl- 
edge, lived  up  to  their  intention.  Two  years 
after  our  journey  he  and  his  wife  called  on  me 
in  San  Francisco,  while  on  their  way  home. 
He  had  made  ten  thousand  dollars,  the  sum 
he  went  for,  had  no  love  for  the  country,  and 
was  going  back  perfectly  satisfied  with  his 
venture.  The  other  man  was  from  Ohio,  and 
oue  of  a  family  of  very  pious  people.  He 
went  into  the  mines,  and,  being  handy  with 
tools,  made  *' cradles"  for  washing  gold.  He 
could  make  one  in  a  day,  for  which  he  re- 


UNIVERSITY 
TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  21 

ceived  an  ounce  in  gold-dust.  He  stayed 
until  he  made  much  more  than  the  sum  he 
went  for,  and,  I  believe,  got  frightened,  fearing 
if  he  did  not  keep  faith  with  himself  some- 
thing might  happen  to  him.  He  also  went 
home  perfectly  satisfied  to  have  escaped  with 
his  money  and  his  life  from  a  civilization  so 
wild  and  rough  as  was  found  in  a  mining- 
camp.  A  few  days  ago  this  gentleman  called 
on  me.  He  was  making  a  visit  to  California 
for  his  health.  I  reminded  him  of  what  he 
had  told  me  of  his  object  in  coming  here. 
"Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  came  for  a  purpose, —  and 
there  she  sits  over  in  that  chair,"  pointing  to 
a  sweet-faced,  gray-haired  lady  opposite  me, 
his  good  wife,  and  the  mother  of  several  chil- 
dren.    How  strange  it  all  seemed ! 

My  first  day  on  the  steamer  deck  was  full  of 
wonder  to  me.  I  had  heard  of  the  crowded 
steamers,  but  had  no  conception  of  what  it 
meant  until  that  day.  In  the  second  cabin, 
coming  up,  in  the  first  cabin,  looking  through 
as  I  came  up  the  stairs,  on  deck,  everywhere,  a 
crowd !  Men,  women,  and  children  of  all  na- 
tions seemed  to  have  a  representation  more  or 
less  numerous.  At  first  all  were  mixed  in 
one  confused  mass;  but  after  a  while  I  be- 
came accustomed  to  the  moving  throng,  and 


22  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

thought  I  could  single  out  some  of  my  own 
country  people.  The  impression  of  a  crowd 
was  not  to  be  wondered  at, —  for,  although  the 
steamer  was  allowed  only  twelve  hundred  pas- 
sengers, we  were  told,  and  every  one  believed 
it,  there  were  fully  sixteen  hundred,  counting 
stowaways,  extra  deck-hands,  and  smuggled-in 
steerage  passengers.  Those  who  occupied  first 
or  second  cabins  were  allowed  on  deck  at  all 
times ;  but  a  portion  of  it  was  roped  of!  once 
a  day  for  an  hour  or  two,  when  the  steerage 
passengers  could  come  up  and  enjoy  the  fresh 
air.  At  such  times  the  cabin  passengers  "gen- 
erally went  below." 

The  first  day  was  spent  on  my  cot,  and  at 

night  Mr.  E^ proposed  I  should  sleep  there 

next  his  wife,  while  he  swung  his  hammock 
just  above  us,  and  where  he  could  reach  us,  in 
case  he  was  needed  in  the  night.  This  was 
altogether  delightful  to  both  Lena  and  myself, 
as  we  dreaded  that  fearful  berth.  There  were 
a  great  many  others  who  slept  on  deck  —  in 
fact,  everybody  who  could, —  for  it  was  much 
pleasanter  than  a  stuffy  stateroom.  Those  who 
could  not  have  a  standee  camped  on  the  seat 
which  ran  along  the  edge  of  the  deck,  and 
others,  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  slept  on  the 
floor  for  at  least  part  of  the  night.    All  of  these 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  23 

were  routed  out  by  daylight  by  the  men  who 
came  to  wash  down  the  decks;  but  those  who 
were  in  standees  could  remain  until  the  decks 
were  dry.  After  a  few  days  the  standees  were 
discarded  —  as  everybody  was  able  to  sit  up 
and  go  to  meals — until  night,  when  many 
were  brought  up  and  occupied  by  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  them. 

Lena  had  found  pleasant  companions,  and 
was  gay  as  a  bird.  Neither  then  nor  afterwards 
Avas  she  the  least  trouble  to  me ;  and  I  attrib- 
uted many  of  the  kindnesses  I  received  to  her 
loving  and  dainty  ways,  which  attracted  most 
of  our  companions.  I  had  heard  men  so  often 
refer  to  children  as  unmitigated  bores  in  trav- 
elling that  I  had  felt  somewhat  anxious  on  her 
account  where  all  were  strangers.  But  I  can 
truly  say  that  never  once  was  I  made  uncom- 
fortable on  her  account,  or  was  she  snubbed. 
On  the  contrary,  after  we  became  a  little  ac- 
quainted with  people,  I  was  often  asked  for  the 
"  loan  of  her  for  a  while,"  and  she  was  brought 
back  with  a  report  of  good  conduct  and  a 
desire  for  her  company  again.  Upon  my 
expressing  some  surprise  at  this  to  a  gentle- 
man, he  remarked  that  most  children  would 
be  liked  and  all  tolerated,  if  their  faces  and 
hands  were  kept  clean,  and  they  were  made  to 


24  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

mind  their  own  business.  I  thought  there 
was  a  sermon  in  that  for  all  mothers. 

Having  occupied  a  standee  for  several  nights, 
I  thought  myself  equal  to  taking  my  berth 
again.  Upon  going  down  to  prepare  it  in  some 
measure,  I  found  it  had  been  used  during  that 
day  by  a  preacher  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a 
wet  pack  to  break  up  a  fever.  He  was  a  friend 
of  my  roommates,  and  a  doctor  among  the 
passengers  had  prescribed  that  treatment.  As 
I  had  only  gone  down  twice  a  day  for  a  few 
moments,  they  felt  justified  in  making  such 
good  use  of  my  berth.  I  quite  fell  in  with 
their  idea,  and  gave  up  all  further  claim  to 
it,  only  using  the  stateroom  for  toilet  purposes 
when  the  others  were  on  deck. 

Now,  that  we  were  all  w^ell,  making  acquain- 
tances was  next  in  order,  and  from  introduc- 
tions to  friends  of  Mr.  Eastman,  I  soon  had  a 
number  of  pleasant  companions.  I  found  this 
trial  trip  of  the  'Illinois"  and  ''Golden  Gate" 
had  been  looked  forward  to  and  planned  for  by 
a  party  of  old  Californians  who  had  spent  the 
winter  in  the  East,  and  were  now  returning. 
Later  on,  E  found  they  were  rather  notable 
people;  but  then  I  knew  them  only  as  gentle- 
men kind  and  attentive  to  a  stranger,  and 
anxious  to  make  the  time  pass  pleasantly.    All 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  25 

had  stories  to  tell  of  themselves  or  the  new 
country  which  I  was  soon  to  know,  and  which 
seemed  charming  to  me,  an  eager  listener. 

Tom  0.  Larkin  told  of  Monterey  and  south- 
ern ranches.  He  had  a  famous  watch-chain 
of  black  pearls,  and  could  tell  some  bit  of  his> 
tory  connected  with  each  one.  Benjamin  Ken- 
dig  went  to  California  in  '49,  stayed  one  year, 
and  returned  to  New  Orleans.  He  fitted  out 
a  ship  with  merchandise  and  sent  it  to  sea, 
with  his  son,  twenty-three  years  old,  as  super- 
cargo. Nothing  was  ever  heard  of  the  vessel^ 
and  Mr.  Kendig  was  on  a  journey — round  the 
world,  if  need  be, — in  hopes  of  finding  some 
trace  of  his  son.  Tom  Cahill — "Genial  Tom," 
they  all  called  him, — placed  his  big  bamboo 
chair  (which  he  slept  in  nights)  at  my  disposal 
during  the  day.  It  could  be  elevated  or  low- 
ered to  any  angle  desired,  and  was  a  most 
luxurious  resting-place.  He  had  been  in  San 
Francisco  during  the  two  great  fires,  in  one  of 
which  a  dear  brother  perished  before  his  eyes. 
Many  a  sigh  came  from  him  when  others 
around  were  careless  and  happy,  and  we  knew 
what  thought  caused  it.  Isaac  Friedlander  liad 
gone  to  California  in  '49.  He  was  so  homesick 
he  could  not  stay;  but  after  being  home  two 
years  was  more  sick  to  get  back  again.    Speak- 


26  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

ing  of  his  life  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  he 
mentioned  a  firm  to  which  he  felt  particular- 
ly indebted  for  kindness  and  assistance  in  his 
early  business  career.  The  men  comprising 
that  firm  were  my  uncles,  and  I  mentioned  the 
fact,  which  seemed  to  greatly  please  him,  and 
he  assured  me  nothing  would  gratify  him  more 
than  to  be  of  service  to  Lena  or  myself  during 
our  journey.  Mr.  Cavalier,  a  French  gentle- 
man, made  man}^  efforts  to  be  agreeable,  but 
as  he  spoke  little  English  and  I  less  French, 
our  attempts  at  conversation  were  a  source  of 
much  merriment  to  all  of  us.  There  was 
another  person  who  was  a  rather  prominent 
Californian.  He  kept  much  to  his  stateroom, 
and  no  one  seemed  anxious  for  his  society. 
The  man  was  Sam  Brannan,  a  person  of  great 
wealth  and  position  in  San  Francisco  for  many 
years.  He  entertained  largely  in  his  state- 
room, and  at  times  became  very  hilarious,  and 
had  to  be  remonstrated  with  rather  severely. 
Among  passengers  from  New  York  on  a  visit 
to  San  Francisco,  was  Wilkes,  of  the  Spirit  of 
the  Times  and  Police  Gazette.  I  made  his  ac- 
quaintance through  Dr.  Mott,  a  son  of  old  Dr. 
Mott  of  New  York,  but  of  world-wide  fame. 
Mr.  Wilkes  seemed  quite  a  pleasant  person, 
until  one  day  I  made  confession  that  I  had 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  27 

never  read  a  Police  Gazette!  To  correct  this 
lack  of  intelligence,  he  brought  me  an  armful 
the  next  time  he  came  on  deck.  I  pitied  his 
apparent  sorrow  when  I  declined  to  read  them, 
and  I  am  sure  it  was  beyond  his  comprehen- 
sion— such  a  lack  of  appreciation  of  what  to 
him  was  first-class  literature.  Of  Fernando 
Wood,  it  was  said  he  was  going  out  to  ex- 
change a  hundred  thousand  dollars'- worth  of 
New  York  property  for  a  like  value  in  San 
Francisco  with  Tom  0.  Larkin.  I  do  not 
know  if  this  was  so,  or  only  steamer  gossip. 

Among  all  our  passengers  there  were  only 
eighty  women  and  children;  but  this  was  by 
far  the  largest  number  which  had  ever  crossed 
at  one  time.  When  the  dangerous  nature  of 
the  journey  is  considered,  and  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  men  were  fortune-hunters,  who  ex- 
pected to  make  that  fortune  in  two  years,  the 
small  number  of  women  and  children  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at.  In  that  number,  however,  we 
had  all  kinds — the  gentle  invalid,  who  was  so 
nervous!  —  the  large,  jolly  one,  who,  sitting 
bolt  upright,  with  her  arms  crossed  on  her 
capacious  bosom,  and  arrayed  in  a  loose  gown 
of  immense  pattern,  made  fun  for  everybody; 
my  Lady  Vere  de  Vere,  who  in  dignified  state 
sat  in  lofty  silence  apart  from  the  motley  crowd. 


28  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

Two  representatives  of  the  world  of  fashion 
occasionally  came  out  of  retirement,  and  gaz- 
ing around  for  a  while,  seemed  to  be  oppressed 
with  that  "tired  feeling"  which  at  the  present 
time  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  fashionable  life. 
They  had  been  to  Europe;  and  as  that  was  a 
much  moi^e  uncommon  affair  then  than  it  is 
now,  perhaps  it  accounted  for  the  blase  appear- 
ance which  they  so  much  affected. 

One  of  another  class  there  was,  with  three 
of  her  chattels;  but  they  kept  so  closely  to 
themselves  we  knew  nothing  of  them.  But 
crossing  the  Isthmus  she  found  a  poor  German 
and  his  wife  dying  with  fever  by  the  roadside, 
wdth  two  little  children  crying  beside  them. 
While  others  passed  them  by,  this  poor  soul 
had  them  put  on  a  litter  and  taken  into  Pan- 
ama. There  they  died,  and  her  money  gave 
them  decent  burial  in  consecrated  ground. 
Then  putting  the  little  ones  into  clean  gar- 
ments, albeit  not  the  best  of  fits,  she  took  them 
on  the  steamer,  and  shared  her  room  with 
them.  Whenever  their  clothing  got  dirty  she 
made  bold  to  ask  of  mothers  to  give  of  their 
abundance  to  the  orphans,  and  was  seldom 
refused.  She  took  these  children  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  placed  them  with  good  German  peo- 
ple, and  saw  that  they  were  well  brought  up 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  29 

and  educated.  A  sum  of  money  was  placed 
in  such  a  way  as  to  provide  for  all  this,  but 
they  never  knew  from  whom  it  came.  Would 
my  Lady  Vere  de  Vere  have  done  that? 

One  of  my  roommates  was  a  plain,  good 
w^oman,  happy  in  the  thought  of  joining  hus- 
band and  father,  and  the  hope  that  the  climate 
would  make  him  a  strong  man  again.  The 
other  was  the  wife  of  a  street  contractor  in 
San  Francisco.  He  had  made  much  money, 
and  invested  a  portion  of  it  in  specimen  quartz 
jewelry.  She  had  a  chain  of  great  length, 
reminding  one  of  Dick's  hat-band,  which  we 
are  told  went  three  times  round  and  tucked 
under.  Pins,  rings,  and  buckles,  all  of  speci- 
men jewelry,  and  all  worn  morning,  noon,  and 
night,  made  her  a  rather  conspicuous  person. 

Another  woman  brought  her  little  girl,  who 
after  we  crossed  the  Isthmus  developed  a  case 
of  measles,  the  germs  of  which  were  sown 
broadcast  before  we  knew  what  was  the  trou- 
ble. Many  a  left-handed  blessing  was  cast 
after  the  unwitting  offender  after  we  landed 
in  San  Francisco.  Some  were  going  to  the 
mines;  others  w^ere  waiting  their  arrival  at 
San  Francisco  to  know  where  or  what  was 
their  destination.  But  why  go  on?  Each 
and  every  one  had  a  hope  or  expectation  as 


30  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

widely  different  as  was  their  past  and  present 
life. 

One  of  the  first  things  I  did  after  I  got  over 
my  seasickness  was  to  finish  reading  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  From  the  time  I  opened  the 
book  it  became  an  object  of  interest  to  many 
people.  The  steamer  was  officered  by  South- 
ern people,  and  nearly  all  with  whom  I  be- 
came acquainted  were  more  or  less  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  South.  It  was  not  strange 
then  that  my  book  and  I  came  in  for  a  goodly 
share  of  curiosity.  I  could  not  stop  reading 
a  moment  but  some  one  would  w^ant  to  look 
at  it,  "just  to  see  what  it  was  like."  Of  course, 
no  one  could  read  a  few  words  without  wish- 
ing for  the  whole,  and  I  was  besieged  with 
requests  for  it  from  would-be  borrowers.  I  was 
perfectly  willing  to  lend  it;  but  soon  realizing 
the  strong  feeling  it  was  creating,  I  made  each 
one  who  took  it  personally  responsible  for  its 
safe  return.  This  became  necessary  from  the 
number  who  were  waiting  their  turn,  and  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  keep  a  close  watch  upon 
it.  Whenever  it  was  returned  some  discus- 
sion followed.  There  was  no  attempt  to  lessen 
its  merit  as  a  book,  but  a  great  diversity  of 
opinion  as  to  its  truthfulness  in  depicting  plan- 
tation life.     While  I  was  not  afraid  to  express 


TO    CALIB'ORNIA    IN    '52.  31 

my  belief  on  the  subject,  I  shunned  argument, 
feeling  it  would  be  extremely  unpleasant  to 
create  antagonism  to  me  personally  and  could 
do  no  good  to  the  cause.  The  consequence 
was  all  talked  freely  and  good-naturedly  on 
the  subject,  and  I  got  nothing  worse  than  a 
little  raillery  and  being  alluded  to  as  the  "Bos- 
ton Abolitionist."  How  true  my  fears  were 
for  the  safety  of  my  book  was  proven  later  on. 
The  last  morning  we  were  on  the  steamer  it 
was  taken  out  of  my  satchel  in  my  stateroom 
while  I  was  eating  breakfast,  and  I  never 
heard  of  it  afterward. 

The  last  few  days  on  the  Atlantic  side  were 
anything  but  pleasant, — for  the  weather  had 
become  uncomfortably  warm  and  several  cases 
of  fever  had  developed,  which,  in  our  crowded 
condition,  created  anxiety. 

As  we  neared  the  Isthmus,  the  interest  of 
all  centred  in  that  much-dreaded  part  of  our 
journey.  The  papers  had  given  accounts  of 
the  dangers  to  be  met  with  there — of  robbers, 
loss  of  baggage,  of  people  being  left  behind 
and  having  to  wait  for  another  steamer;  and, 
worst  of  all,  getting  the  much  dreaded  Pan- 
ama fever.  We  knew  transportation  facilities 
were  much  improved ;  still  we  believed  there 
was  trouble  of  some  sort  ahead  for  us  all.   How 


:82  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

the  eighty  women  and  children  were  to  be 
disposed  of  when  it  came  to  mule  carriage  was 
matter  for  much  speculation.  One  woman 
going  to  Salem,  Oregon,  had  eight  children, 
ranging  from  a  young  man  of  nineteen  to  an 
infant  in  arms.  Some  one  asking  her  what 
she  expected  to  do  with  them  when  she  came 
to  the  mules,  she  said  she  expected  to  find 
out  when  she  did  come  to  them,  and  not  be- 
fore. Anyway  she  was  not  going  to  worry 
about  it.  The  rest  of  us  took  the  hint,  and 
there  were  fewer  questions  asked  after  this. 
Dr.  Mott  had  kindly  offered  to  take  care  of 
Lena  and  myself,  and  seemed  to  fear  more  for 
our  baggage  than  anything  that  might  hap- 
pen to  us.  He  had,  beside  his  ordinary  trunk 
of  clothing,  a  case  of  surgical  instruments, 
which  would  be  extremely  valuable  to  him  in 
San  Francisco,  if  he  could  get  them  there  in 
good  condition.  I  showed  him  my  order  on 
Covy  &  Co.,  at  Aspinwall,  which  Mr.  Adams 
had  given  me,  but  told  him  candidly  that  after 
my  experience  about  my  berth  I  did  not  know 
as  any  order  from  him  would  be  respected. 
He  thought  it  would  be,  and  felt  very  hopeful 
about  it,  and  some  others  to  whom  he  spoke 
were  sure  it  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  us. 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  33 


PART    II. 

WE  left  the  steamer  at  Aspinwall  in  the 
early  morning,  and  walked  to  the  cars 
in  a  drizzling  rain.  There  were  nine  miles  of 
railroad  completed,  but  there  was  nothing  vet 
done  for  the  comfort  of  passengers — no  depot 
or  waiting-room.  Bat  what  a  ride  and  what 
a  work  the  construction  of  that  nine  miles  had 
been ! 

When  I  first  got  in  the  car  there  was  a  terri- 
ble crowd,  and  not  seats  for  half  the  people. 
It  seemed  as  if  some  one  or  many  must  be 
crushed.  A  gentleman  who  was  in  the  car 
before  we  came  gave  me  his  seat,  and  then 
picked  up  Lena  and  put  her  in  my  lap.  See- 
ing me  interested  in  everything  about  us,  he 
answered  patiently  and  with  apparent  pleasure 
my  innumerable  questions  about  the  country 
and  people.  He  introduced  himself  by  telling 
his  name  and  position,  which  was  a  guarantee 
for  the  truthfulness  of  his  information.  He 
was  Mr.  Stevens,  chief  engineer  in  the  construc- 
tion department  of  the  road. 

First   we   talked   of  the  difficulties  of  the 


o4  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

work.  They  had  driven  piles  in  many  places 
sixty  feet  deep,  to  get  a  foundation  for  the 
sleepers.  It  seemed  there  was  nothing  but 
decomposed  vegetation  as  far  down  as  that. 
Then  the  difficulty  with  laborers  was  very 
great, — for  no  one  could  work  longer  than  a 
week  in  that  fever-laden  air.  If  a  man  did 
not  leave  then  and  fill  up  on  quinine,  he  died ; 
and  most  of  them  died  anyhow.  If  the  fever 
was  broken  up,  they  took  a  cough  which  usu- 
ally developed  into  quick  consumption,  and 
that  was  the  end  of  them.  Mr.  Stevens  said, 
and  I  heard  it  from  others  afterward,  that  a 
double  row^  of  these  dead  men  could  have  been 
laid  on  the  whole  of  that  nine  miles. 

This  gentleman  was  an  enthusiastic  bot- 
anist, and  never  once  wearied  of  my  many 
questions  concerning  the  wonderful  flowers 
and  ferns  which  were  in  bewildering  profusion 
everywhere.  Huge  trees  bore  aloft  great  ban- 
ners of  moss  and  flung  out  trails  and  vines  of 
brilliant  parasites.  It  seemed  as  if  the  ground, 
burdened  with  its  wealth  of  verdure,  was 
sending  up  emissaries  to  make  a  second  world 
of  loveliness  on  the  sunny  tree-tops.  I  have 
never  visited  a  fine  conservator}^  since  without 
seeing  many  a  plant  and  flower  which  I  saw 
there  growing  in  wildest  luxuriance.   All  were 


TO    (CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  35 

not  handsome,  however;  two  were  positively 
wicked-looking,  and  I  was  not  surprised  to 
learn  they  w^ere  very  poisonous. 

At  the  end  of  the  nine  miles  of  railroad, 
we  came  to  the  Chagres  river,  where  w^e  were 
to  take  boats  for  the  next  stage  of  our  journey. 
It  took  some  time  to  get  started, — for  we  had 
to  select  our  baggage  and  see  it  on  the  boat  in 
which  we  were  to  go.  Our  boat  took  twenty 
people  and  this  baggage,  which  was  piled  in 
the  centre,  in  a  sort  of  pyramid.  The  boat 
was  a  flat-bottomed  affair,  with  a  seat  which 
ran  all  round  the  inner  edge.  The  outer  edge 
was  provided  with  a  wide  board,  which  served 
as  a  sort  of  promenade,  as  it  w^ere,  for  the 
boatmen.  They  had  long  poles,  which  they 
stuck  from  the  prow  of  the  boat  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  river,  and  held  there  while  they 
trotted  back,  and  the  boat  glided  along  under 
their  feet  the  length  of  the  pole.  Running 
forward  again,  they  repeated  the  performance. 

We  had  eight  of  these  boatmen — big, -black 
fellows,  almost  naked.  Desperately  ugly  in 
looks,  they  proved  equally  so  in  character. 
It  was  about  nine  o'clock  when  we  were  fairly 
under  way.  For  the  first  hour  or  so  it  was 
cool,  and  the  river  was  shaded  by  trees.  Then 
the  sun  came  out  with  a  fierce  heat,  which 


36  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

caused  the  perspiration  to  pour  off  the  boat- 
men in  copious  streams,  and  eventually  to 
make  them  discard  their  solitary  garment. 

Almost  every  one  was  provided  with  thick 
umbrellas,  for  protection  from  the  sun,  as  well 
as  the  showers,  which  were  frequent  and  un- 
expected. We  would  see  a  little  thick,  white 
cloud,  not  unlike  a  bit  of  cotton,  sailing  in  the 
sky;  and  when  it  was  over  our  heads  it  just 
tipped  up,  and,  after  giving  us  a  shower-bath, 
passed  serenely  on.  Then  we  steamed  in  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  and,  after  being  dried,  were 
consumed  with  fev^er. 

People  resorted  to  all  sorts  of  things  to 
quench  their  thirst.  Some  took  "fire-water," 
in  any  quantity  or  quality  they  had  in  private 
stock.  Some  provident  ones  had  coffee  pre- 
pared for  them  before  leaving  the  steamer, 
and  now  drank  it  nearly  all  at  once,  and 
thirsted  more  than  ever.  One  elderl}^  person 
had  a  bottle  of  pickled  onions  along,  of  which 
he  partook  freely,  and  then  drank  the  vinegar! 
Some  dipped  up  the  water  from  the  river  and 
drank,  and  repented  ever  after,  for  it  had  a 
way  of  "cottoning"  up  in  the  mouth  that  was 
intolerable.  I  had  read  somewhere  that  wet- 
ting the  wrists  would  allay  fever.  So  when  I 
could  bear  the  thirst  no  longer,  I  tried  putting 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IX    '52.  37 

my  arm  over  the  side  of  the  boat  for  a  few 
moments,  and  found  it  a  great  relief.  Soon 
everybody  was  doing  the  same,  and  after  this 
there  was  less  resorting  to  the  bottle. 

When  our  boatmen  discarded  their  small 
amount  of  clothing  the  female  portion  of  our 
company  sought  the  seclusion  of  their  umbrel- 
las, whereupon  the  gentlemen  commanded  the 
boatmen  to  resume  their  garments.  A  stormy 
scene  ensued,  with  the  result  that  at  the  first  hut 
we  came  to  on  the  bank  of  the  river  our  men 
deserted  and  left  us  to  our  fate.  Their  excuse 
w^as  they  wanted  breakfast;  but  after  waiting 
an  hour  for  them,  and  being  nearly  suffocated 
with  heat,  a  delegation  of  well-armed  men 
sought  them  out,  and  found  them  fast  asleep 
under  the  trees.  They  were  yelled  at  and 
prodded  with  sticks,  but  being  half  drunk,  it 
was  hard  work  to  waken  them.  After  much 
threatening  with  knives  and  pistols,  they  sul- 
lenly came  down  to  the  boat,  with  our  men 
bringing  up  the  rear,  with  their  weapons  very 
much  in  evidence.  They  were  an  ugly  set, 
and  were  constantly  inventing  excuses  for 
tying  up  at  every  hut  that  promised  a  drink 
or  snooze,  which  necessitated  a  constant  watch- 
fulness on  the  part  of  our  men. 

The  terrible  day  wore  on,  and  as  the  shadows 


38  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

lengthened  a  little  breeze  came  up,  which  made 
it  possible  to  breathe  with  some  comfort.  At 
sunset  we  reached  Taverneer,  where  we  were 
to  spend  the  night.  The  boat  was  run  up  on 
a  little  gravelly  beach,  and  we  all  got  out  so 
cramped,  sore,  and  miserable  altogether  as  to 
make  walking,  even  the  short  space  required, 
almost  an  impossibility.  AYe  were  here  to  get 
supper,  lodging,  and  breakfast. 

Taverneer  consisted  of  two  log  houses.  One 
was  the  tavern  proper;  the  other  a  place  where 
the  sick  men  were  sent  when  no  longer  able  to 
w^ork  on  the  railroad.  If  any  one  ate  of  that 
supper,  I  did  not  know  it, — for  all  were  suffer- 
ing for  an  opportunity  to  loosen  their  clothes 
and  stretch  their  limbs  after  the  long  confine- 
ment in  one  position.  This  we  were  not  allowed 
to  do  until  all  had  a  chance  to  eat  their  sup- 
per; and  as  there  were  people  enough  to  oc- 
cupy the  tables  several  times  replenished,  it 
took  a  long  while. 

At  last  a  man  took  a  candle  and  beckoned 
us  to  the  side  of  the  room,  where  were  slats 
nailed  to  the  logs,  forming  a  rough  ladder,  and 
we  were  expected  to  climb  these  slats  to  our 
sleeping-rooms!  We  looked  at  each  other  in 
dismay,  and  asked  how  we  were  to  do  it.  The 
serving-man  could  not  speak  a  word  of  Eng- 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  39 

lish,  and  we  no  Spanish ;  so  there  we  were 
huddled  together  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder — if 
those  slats  were  wortliy  that  name — waiting 
for  something  to  turn  up.  Soon  the  men  came 
along,  having  been  told  that  was  the  way  to 
their  sleeping-room.  So  they  literally  lent  a 
hand,  and  by  giving  us  one  and  using  the  other 
to  pull  themselves  up,  we  managed  the  ascent. 
There  was  always  one  man  between  two  w^om- 
€n,  to  help  in  case  of  a  misstep  or  lost  grip. 
After  we  were  all  up,  the  men  looked  around 
for  their  separate  quarters,  and,lo  and  behold! 
there  was  only  the  one  garret  for  us  all.  This 
seemed  a  dilemma,  surely;  but  by  this  time 
we  were  "in  for  it,"  and  had  to  take  anything 
that  came  our  way;  and  the  less  we  grumbled 
the  better. 

The  beds  were  single  cots — no  pillows,  blan- 
kets, or  bedding  of  any  kind.  There  were  not 
enough  cots  for  even  the  women  and  children; 
so  the  men  had  to  take  the  floor.  I  believe 
every  man  who  crossed  the  Isthmus  had  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  pair  of  blankets,  and 
many  women  also,  or  a  heavy  shawl,  which 
answered  the  same  purpose.  Some  of  the  men 
took  their  blankets  and  went  down,  thinking 
it  would  be  pleasanter  to  sleep  under  the  trees. 
They  soon  returned,  however,  concluding  any 


40  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

shelter  was  better  than  the  night  air  and  the 
innumerable  insects  buzzing  about. 

Among  our  number  were  some  young  Ger- 
mans who  had  a  stock  of  diamonds  and  jew- 
elry with  them.  They  were  determined  not  to 
lose  sight  of  their  baggage  for  a  moment;  so 
some  were  always  on  the  watch,  while  the 
others  got  a  few  winks  of  sleep.  There  was  a 
tarpaulin  over  the  baggage,  and  some  of  our 
party  crept  under  it  and  slept  there. 

The  crying  of  children  with  fever  and  thirst, 
and  the  sick  men  who  had  persisted  in  drink- 
ing all  sorts  of  "fire-water,"  contrary  to  the 
advice  of  those  who  knew  better,  made  night 
hideous.  The  elderly  person  who  had  eaten 
so  freely  of  pickled  onions  and  drank  the  vine- 
gar awoke  from  a  troubled  sleep  with  a  whoop 
and  a  howl,  and  made  haste  for  the  one  win- 
dow, where  he  delivered  up  to  Mother  Earth 
her  own  again — and  felt  better. 

The  chattering  of  monkeys,  the  shrieks  of 
night-owls,  and  every  form  of  expression  pos- 
sible for  paroquets,  mocking-birds,  and  the 
like,  beside  many  others  of  which  we  had  no 
knowledge,  made  that  night  at  Taverneer  one 
to  be  remembered,  but  a  repetition  of  which 
could  hardly  be  desired.  It  seemed  as  if  every 
tree  in  that  dense  forest  by  which  we  were  sur- 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  41 

rounded  was  the  home  of  beast  or  bird  and 
teeming  with  life  which  had  hidden  away  or 
slept  during  tlie  heat  of  the  day.  Then  the 
woods  were  as  silent  as  thougli  every  living 
thing  was  struck  dumb.  Add  to  this  the  coughs 
of  the  sick  men  in  the  other  log  house,  and  the 
experience  was  not  conducive  to  rest  or  sleep. 

I  sat  on  the  floor  as  long  as  I  could,  and 
then  tried  lying  on  the  cot  at  Lena's  feet,  with 
a  bag  for  a  pillow.  Then  giving  up  in  despair 
of  rest,  went  to  the  window  to  look  out  on  that 
strange  night,  and  take  in  its,  to  me,  wonder- 
ful aspects.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly, 
throwing  shadows  everywhere;  and  if  anything 
had  been  lacking  in  the  reality  of  the  weird 
scene,  the  fancy  could  easily  fill  the  void. 

While  I  was  thus  musing,  a  pistol-shot  star- 
tled us  all  and  filled  us  with  alarm.  Some  of 
the  men  went  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  and  re- 
turned with  word  that  a  man  in  the  boat  shot 
oft'  his  pistol,  just  to  let  people  know  he  was 
watching  all  right.  I  was  told  afterwards  that 
he  saw  a  head  of  some  kind  peering  over  the 
edge  of  the  boat,  and  shot  at  it.  He  heard 
nothing  from  it,  and  did  not  know  what  it 
was;  nor  did  he  care,  I  imagine.  If  it  was  a 
robber,  all  right;  if  a  beast,  all  right.  It  was 
not  w^orth  thinking  about,  anyway. 


42  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

As  soon  as  it  was  daylight,  we  gathered  our 
belongings  and  descended  from  our  sleeping- 
quarters  in  the  same  order  in  which  we  as- 
cended the  night  before;  but  being  rather  more 
conspicuous  in  the  morning  light  than  by  a 
tallow  dip,  we  did  not  accomplish  it  quite  so 
complacently.  Our  breakfast  was  a  repetition 
of  supper,  with  the  addition  of  coffee,  which 
was  a  veritable  godsend ;  and  we  took  the  pre- 
caution to  buy  some  crackers,  which  I  really 
think  saved  our  lives  that  day. 

The  first  of  our  ride  that  morning  was  through 
much  the  same  scenery  as  the  day  before;  but 
that  which  so  charmed  us  then  became  ex- 
ceedingly monotonous  now.  Tree,  fern,  and 
flower  failed  to  draw  our  minds  from  our  ex- 
hausted bodies — exhausted  from  heat  and  want 
of  proper  food  and  starved  for  sleep.  I  re- 
member nothing  of  that  day  but  a  dreadful 
consciousness  of  those  conditions  and  a  half- 
stupid  realization  that  the  day  was  over,  and 
some  one  was  encouraging  me  to  make  an 
effort  to  leave  the  boat  and  climb  the  steep 
path  at  Gorgona.  I  was  assured  that  the  worst 
was  over,  and  a  rest  and  good  food  at  hand. 

I  looked  at  the  hotel  and  doubted  it.  More 
pretentious  than  Taverneer,  certainly,  but  all 
the  stories  I  had  heard  before  I  left  home  of 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IX    '52.  43 

robbery  and  murder  at  this  place  seemed  quite 
possible  from  the  looks  of  the  people  swarm- 
ing about.  We  were  made  to  stop  in  the  eat- 
ing-room, as  at  Taverneer  the  night  before, 
until  every  one  had  a  chance  to  eat,  and  I 
wondered  if  the  experience  of  getting  to  our 
sleeping  apartment  would  be  repeated. 

Fortunately  there  were  stairs  and  beds — 
really  beds  and  bed-clothes.  But  sleep  was 
almost  as  hard  to  get  as  on  the  night  before, 
on  account  of  the  numbers  of  flying  and  creep- 
ing things  which,  attracted  by  our  light, 
would  swarm  in  the  moment  a  door  or  win- 
dow was  opened.  To  sleep  in  a  crowded  room 
without  some  place  open  was  impossible.  So 
we  divided  up  into  watchers  and  sleepers. 
While  some  watched  the  children,  with  the 
merest  ghost  of  a  light,  and  did  battle  with 
the  creatures  which  flew  or  crawled  in,  others 
snatched  a  little  rest  and  sleep.  The  morning 
light  showed  us  many  dead  things  that  made 
us  shiver,  slain  by  a  vigorous  hand,  wielding 
a  woman's  shoe — our  only  weapon. 

At  intervals  during  the  night  other  boats 
arrived,  and  having  unloaded  their  passen- 
gers, the  latter  climbed  the  hill  as  we  had 
done,  and  were  taken  up  in  the  great  caravan- 
sary.    The  noise  of  quarrelling  and  fighting 


44  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

going  on  in  the  saloon  and  gambling-room 
seemed  continuous,  and  just  after  midnight 
there  was  added  that  of  the  mules  coming  in 
from  Aspinwall  to  take  us  over  the  mountain. 
Many  of  the  mules  had  bells  which  kept  up  a 
tinkling  sound  of  varied  tones.  The  "Hoop- 
la!" of  the  muleteers,  the  jingling  of  their 
spurs,  and  the  delivery  of  every  form  of  "  cuss" 
words  known  to  man,  went  on  until  every  beast 
had  his  feed  and  every  man  his  drink,  and 
then  silence  reigned. 

The  silence  lasted  only  for  a  short  time, 
however, — for  at  the  first  ray  of  light  the 
"Hoop-la!  "  rang  out  again  and  again.  Kicks 
and  oaths  were  delivered  indiscriminately, 
pack-saddles  were  cinched,  and  every  mule  in 
waiting  for  his  load.  And  what  a  sight  they 
were!  Such  broken-down,  miserable  beasts! 
Hundreds  of  them,  lame,  halt,  and  blind, 
ringboned  and  spavined,  big  and  little,  mostly 
little, — everything  that  could  be  gathered  up 
in  all  the  country, — were  brought  into  requisi- 
tion to  carry  the  army  of  people  who  every 
two  weeks  had  to  cross  that  mountain. 

Dr.  Mott  had  taken  my  order  for  special 
transportation  given  me  by  Mr.  Adams,  to  the 
office  at  Aspinwall,  and  had  been  assured  that 
it  Avould  be  properly  attended  to.     But  as  I 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  45 

stood  on  the  porch  that  morning  and  looked 
at  the  crowd  of  wretched  animals  and  the 
crowd  of  waiting  people,  I  wondered  if  it  was 
possible  for  any  one  to  find  me  if  they  wanted 
to.  Some  one  did  want  to  find  me.  A  man 
whom  I  had  noticed  as  one  in  authority  came 
up  to  me  and  asked  if  I  was  the  person  referred 
to  in  the  order  he  held?  The  order  was  the 
one  given  me  by  Mr.  Adams.  Being  satisfied 
that  I  was  the  right  person,  he  asked  for  my 
escort.  I  introduced  Dr.  Mott,  and  he  then 
took  him  to  where  he  had  our  animals  already 
selected  and  waiting  to  be  packed. 

I  have  never  experienced  more  complete 
satisfaction  and  relief  than  when  I  saw  that 
little  band  come  up  for  my  inspection.  First 
were  two  good,  strong  mules  for  baggage,  then 
a  riding  mule  for  my  escort,  and  one  for  our 
especial  muleteer,  and,  last  of  all,  the  dearest 
pony  for  myself  and  a  nice  side-saddle.  The 
pony  must  have  been  some  one's  pet, — for  the 
gentle  creature  rubbed  its  nose  on  my  shoul- 
der and  poked  it  into  my  hand,  where  it  evi- 
dently expected  to  find  a  tidbit,  and  treated 
me  altogether  in  a  most  friendly  manner.  Dr. 
Mott's  satisfaction  was  immense.  That  heavy 
case  of  his  as  well  as  his  other  belongings 
would  be  perfectly  safe  on  that  stout  mule's 


46  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

back.  While  our  baggage  was  being  packed, 
we  were  getting  ourselves  ready  for  our  ride. 
Our  movements  were  watched  with  the  great- 
est interest  by  other  parties.  How  we  could 
have  such  fine  animals,  and  I  a  horse  and  side- 
saddle, seemed  unaccountable,  and  some  grum- 
bling was  indulged  in.  But  the  agent  told 
all  such  persons  that  his  orders  came  from 
headquarters  and  had  to  be  carried  out,  and 
that  settled  the  question. 

My  baggage  fitted  on  the  mule  just  as  I  had 
arranged  for  it.  Dr.  Mott's  was  a  load  for  the 
other  mule.  He  took  Lena  on  the  saddle  in 
front  of  him.  I  had  with  me  a  long  Scotch 
shawl,  which  the  muleteer  wound  around 
them  both  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  them 
the  use  of  their  arms,  but  kept  her  from  fall- 
ing off,  and  left  him  free  to  guide  his  animal. 
Our  two  travelling  bags  were  tied  to  my  sad- 
dle; and  so  disposed  we  started  off,  in  high 
spirits  and  hopeful  hearts,  for  our  last  day's 
journey  on  land. 

The  gentle  breeze  of  the  mountain,  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  sluggish  and  humid  air  which 
had  oppressed  us  on  the  river,  seemed  to  make 
all  nature  revive.  Even  the  birds  attempted 
a  feeble  song  occasionally,  and  the  busy  ants 
hurried   along,   each    with    its   bit  of  bright 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  47 

flower,  carried  like  a  little  sail  on  its  back. 
They  seemed  as  anxious  to  get  somewhere  as 
though  the  day  were  but  an  hour  long.  What 
did  these  busy  creatures  do  with  this  floral 
burden,  was  a  question  we  could  not  answer. 
Sometimes  there  were  several  lines  of  them 
going  in  one  direction  ;  others  were  returning 
unladen.  One  never  wearied  of  watching 
their  undulating  lines  as  they  faithfully  fol- 
lo\ved  their  leader  around  a  bowlder,  or  root 
of  tree,  or  little  pool  of  water  which  the  fre- 
quent showers  made  common  along  the  road. 

Our  trail  lay  over  a  spur,  or  high  peak,  and 
as  we  gradually  ascended  we  frequently  came 
in  sight  of  the  Chagres  river  far  below  us, 
bordered  with  huge  trees,  which  were  gar- 
landed and  festooned  with  brilliant  flowers. 
Toward  noon  the  heat  became  oppressive,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  stop  occasionally  to  give 
the  animals  a  breathing-spell  after  a  particu- 
larly tough  bit  of  climbing. 

It  was  after  one  of  these  rests  that  our  first 
mishap  occurred.  When  we  were  ready  to 
start  we  missed  our  muleteer  and  baggage 
mules.  We  had  been  told  by  the  agent  at 
Gorgona  never  to  let  them  out  of  our  sight, 
and  up  to  this  time  we  had  kept  them  in  front, 
calling  the  muleteer  in  when  he  seemed  in- 


48  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

clined  to  get  too  far  awa}'.  But  now  he  had 
got  the  best  of  us,  and  disappeared  as  com- 
pletely as  though  the  earth  had  opened  and 
taken  him  in.  The  Doctor  shouted  in  vain, 
and  then  rode  back  and  forth  through  the 
underbrush  in  a  fruitless  search  which  con- 
sumed much  valuable  time  and  availed  noth- 
ing. 

In  a  half-hour's  ride  we  came  upon  a  prob- 
able solution  of  the  desertion.  Around  a  large 
mud-hole  or  pond,  there  were  a  number  of 
disabled  mules  and  stranded  riders.  The  ani- 
mals, weak  and  tired  out,  would,  as  soon  as 
they  came  in  sight  of  water,  utterly  refuse  to 
go  farther  and  calmly  lie  down,  as  much  of 
themselves  as  they  could  in  the  water,  and  no 
amount  of  profanity  or  prodding  could  move 
them.  The  good  woman  with  the  eight  chil- 
dren, who  "expected  to  get  along  somehow," 
had  been  dumped  partly  in  the  mud,  and  as  I 
came  in  sight  of  her  was  dragged  out,  and 
was  being  scraped  off  preparatory  to  mount- 
ing another  animal,  when  one  could  be  found. 

Some  of  the  mules  that  had  fallen  or  sat 
down  could  not  get  up  with  their  packs  on, 
and  had  them  taken  off  and  lighter  ones  put 
on.  If  a  good,  stout  mule  came  along  which 
seemed  able  to  carrv  more  load  than  he  had. 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  49 

he  was  relieved  of  the  lighter  part,  and  the 
heavy  part  of  a  weaker  animal's  load  was  put 
on  him.  Any  number  of  these  changes  were 
made;  but  as  we  could  see  nothing  of  our 
man  or  mules,  we  moved  on  considerably 
sobered  by  our  loss,  and  the  Doctor  nursing  a 
great  wrath  against  our  faithless  muleteer. 

At  noon  we  reached  the  divide,  and  stopped 
for  dinner  at  a  booth  put  up  at  the  side  of  the 
trail  ^  There  was  little  shelter  for  the  table 
in  these  few  sticks  and  bushes,  and  a  brisk 
wind  blowing  brought  clouds  of  dust  on  our 
food,  which  was  uninviting  enough  without 
that  addition. 

A  boiled  ham,  with  the  mouldy  skin  stick- 
ing to  it,  a  large  dish  of  very  dirty-looking 
boiled  rice,  and  some  chunks  of  black  bread 
comprised  the  bill  of  fare.  If  you  wanted  a 
drink,  there  was  a  bucket  of  water  under  a 
tree  and  a  gourd  to  drink  out  of;  but  there 
was  not  much  call  for  water  among  that  crowd 
of  people.  I  took  a  little  rice,  but  finding  too 
much  dirt  in  the  rice,  left  it  for  a  piece  of 
bread,  and  got  on  my  horse  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble,— for  the  swartns  of  stinging  flies  made  it 
uncomfortable  to  stay  in  the  booth.  Vl^  , 

We  were  now  going  down  hill  all  the  time, 
and  the  effort  to  keep  from  going  over  our 


50  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

animals'  heads  was  as  great  as  it  had  been 
before  to  keep  from  sliding  off  behind.  After 
a  while  of  this  riding  we  came  to  a  pretty 
thatched  cottage,  with  a  well  under  a  big  tree 
in  front  of  it,  and  we  thought  it  was  just  the 
place  for  a  cool  drink  and  a  rest  for  the  ani- 
mals. I  did  not  get  oif  my  horse,  but  the  Doc- 
tor did.  He  had  seen  a  pair  of  bright  eyes 
and  rosy  cheeks  in  the  cottage  door,  and  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  air  his  little  stock 
of  Spanish  by  making  complimentary  speeches 
while  asking  for  a  cup  to  drink  from. 

I  was  smiling  at  his  efforts,  when  I  saw  some- 
thing which  made  me  start  and  call  quickly 
for  him  to  come  to  me.  I  said,  "There  is  a 
man  watching  3^ou.  Get  on  your  mule  quick- 
ly." He  did  not  obey  me  a  moment  too  soon, 
— for  a  peon  jumped  from  a  thicket  beside  the 
house,  and  but  for  the  woman  coming  between 
them  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  have  given 
Dr.  Mott  something  to  remember,  if  he  had 
not  taken  his  life.  His  knife  and  pistol  shone 
brightly  in  his  belt,  and  there  was  an  angry 
gleam  in  his  eyes. 

The  Doctor  made  good  time  in  getting  away ; 
and  when  1  came  up  with  him  he  was  quite 
willing  to  take  a  little  wholesome  advice, 
which  was  to  save  his  compliments  for  some 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IX    '52.  51 

one  beside  Spanish  women,  unless  be  was  quite 
sure  they  bad  no  man  about. 

Our  descent  of  the  mountain  was  much 
more  rapid  than  the  ascent  had  been,  and  the 
knowledge  that  the  worst  of  the  journey  was 
nearly  over  gave  us  courage  to  bear  what  w^as 
still  left  to  us.  Now  we  began  to  see  signs  of 
living  in  the  increasing  number  of  thatched 
huts  and  paled-in  bits  of  ground,  overflowing 
with  fruits  and  vegetables.  Children  swarmed 
around,  entirely  naked,  and  the  paroquets 
seemed  as  numerous  and  as  much  at  home 
as  the  children.  They  hopped  on  the  chil- 
dren's heads,  crawled  up  tbeir  legs,  pecked 
at  their  food,  and  made  the?nselves  quite 
happy  in  any  way  which  suited  them.  The 
monkeys  were  also  common,  but  not  quite 
as  free,  being  usually  fastened  to  something 
about  the  hut. 

Th^  wonder  was  that  children,  birds,  and 
monkeys  were  not  trampled  under  the  ani- 
mals' feet, —  for  there  was  no  yard  or  fence; 
all  seemed  to  live  in  the  road,  and  made  no 
effort  to  get  out  of  our  way. 

About  three  o'clock  we  rode  into  Panama, 
hot,  dusty,  and  weary  beyond  expression.  We 
had  lost  so  much  time  in  looking  for  our  bag- 
gage mules  and  muleteer  that  the  greater  part 


52  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

of  the  travellers  had  found  some  sort  of  quar- 
ters; but  there  were  stragglers  in  plenty  to 
keep  us  company,  and  we  stopped  with  many 
others  at  a  long,  low  adobe  building,  labelled 
"Philadelphia  House."  We  ordered  dinner, 
and  when  it  was  served  we  sat  on  benches,  and 
I  suppose  must  have  eaten,  but  I  can  not  now 
recall  a  thing  on  the  table. 

To  have  to  sit  on  a  wooden  bench  after  be- 
ing in  the  saddle  since  daybreak  was  almost 
too  much  to  endure.  After  a  short  trial  of  it, 
I  left  the  table  and  took  a  seat  on  the  broad 
window-ledge,  where  I  could  look  out  on  the 
busy  street  and  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air.  Soon 
Lena  and  the  Doctor  joined  me,  and  after  he 
had  made  us  as  comfortable  as  he  could  with 
our  bags  and  shawls,  he  left  us  to  go  to  the 
transportation  office,  to  see  if  our  baggage  had 
come  in. 

I  sat  in  the  window  watching  the  strange 
sights  and  sounds  until  the  sun  began  to  go 
down  before  I  realized  the  lapse  of  time. 
There  was  an  old  church  nearly  in  front  of 
us  which  was  entirely  covered  with  seashells 
of  nearly  uniform  size.  In  front  of  that  was  a 
little  house,  not  unlike  a  guardhouse,  but  open 
on  all  sides  except  one.  On  that  side  was  fas- 
tened a  large  font,  filled  with  holy  (?)  water. 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  53 

A'fe  the  sun  went  down  a  chime  of  little  bells 
rang  out  from  the  church  tower,  and  imme- 
diately every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the 
street  turned  toward  the  little  house.  When 
each  one's  turn  came  to  enter  in,  he  bent  his 
knee,  dipped  his  fingers  in  the  water,  and 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  forehead 
and  bosom,  passed  quickly  out,  to  make  way 
for  others.  Long  after  the  bells  had  stopped 
ringing,  and  the  twilight  had  come  on,  strag- 
glers from  the  fields  and  laborers  of  all  kinds 
came  along;  but  no  one  passed  by  without  first 
entering  the  little  house  and  paying  his  slight 
devotions. 

After  it  became  quiet,  I  took  Lena  and  went 
over  to  the  church,  and  the  witchery  of  the 
time  and  place  w^as  so  strong  upon  me  that  I 
believe  I  should  have  put  my  fingers  in  the 
font  had  not  the  thought  of  those  who  had 
been  there  before  me  and  the  looks  of  the  wa- 
ter entered  a  strong  protest  against  it.  But  I 
felt  so  alone,  so  entirely  apart  from  everything 
and  everybody  I  had  ever  known,  that  for  a 
moment  the  full  reality  of  what  I  had  under- 
taken came  over  me  with  an  overwhelming 
force.  I  was  afraid  of  myself,  and  ran  back 
into  the  old  house  with  a  feeling  of  being 
pursued. 


54  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

The  daylight  Iiad  lingered  so  long  that,  al- 
though it  was  not  dark  outside,  I  found,  on 
looking  at  my  watch,  that  it  was  nearly  nine 
o'clock;  and  I  felt  very  anxious  about  the 
Doctor.  Just  then  Mr.  Friedhmder  came  in. 
He,  too,  had  been  at  the  transportation  office, 
looking  after  his  baggage,  and  the  Doctor  had 
asked  him  to  tell  me  that  one  of  our  mules 
had  come  in  with  his  load  all  right,  and  he 
hoped  soon  to  get  the  other.  He  also  said  that 
a  friend  of  his  who  lived  in  Panama  had  in- 
vited him  to  bring  Lena  and  myself  to  spend 
the  night  at  his  house.  His  wife,  who  was 
from  Boston,  would  be  delighted  to  welcome 
any  one  from  there.  The  Doctor  urged  me  to 
hold  out  a  little  longer,  and  then  I  could  have 
a  good  night's  rest  in  a  decent  house. 

But  the  thought  of  staying  in  that  place 
any  longer,  with  numbers  of  people  of  all  con- 
ditions around  me,  was  intolerable,  and  I 
begged  Mr.  Friedlander  to  find  some  place 
where  I  could  be  alone,  even  if  I  had  to  sit  up 
all  night.  He  said  that  he  would  do  his  best, 
but  every  place  was  so  crowded,  and  it  was  so 
late  that  it  seemed  almost  hopeless  to  get  any- 
thing. 

After  a  time  which  seemed  endless,  he  re- 
turned and  said  he  had  found  a  room  —  if  it 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  55 

could  be  called  that  —  in  the  building  next 
the  one  we  were  then  in ;  and,  as  there  was  a 
white  woman  there  who  could  speak  English, 
he  really  thought  I  had  better  take  it.  I  was 
too  glad  of  anything  which  promised  rest  and 
seclusion  to  hesitate;  so  I  went  with  him.  He 
took  Lena  in  his  arms — by  this  time  she  was 
fast  asleep  —  and  delivered  us  over  to  the  ser- 
vant, with  many  regrets  that  he  could  not  do 
better  by  us.  I  think,  however,  if  he  had 
known  that  night  what  the  daylight  revealed 
to  me,  he  would  have  felt  doubtful  about  leav- 
ing me  there. 

The  room  I  had  secured  was  perhaps  eight 
feet  long  an,d  nearly  as  wide.  The  only  furni- 
ture in  it  was  a  cot,  with  no  pillows  or  bed- 
ding, one  wooden  chair,  and  in  one  corner  a 
washstand.  There  was  a  tin  wash-basin  and 
a  broken-nosed  pitcher,  but  no  water  or  tow- 
els. After  much  coaxing  and  a  generous  tip,  I 
got  the  pitcher  filled  and  two  towels  brought 
me. 

When  the  woman  left,  I  examined  my  quar- 
ters. The  door  by  which  we  entered  seemed 
to  open  from  a  very  wide  corridor;  but,  as  our 
light  was  only  one  candle,  I  could  not  tell 
much  about  it.  Within  the  room  was  another 
door,  the  upper  part  of   which  was  an  iron 


56  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

grating.  Looking  out  of  this,  I  saw  that  it 
opened  upon  a  balcony  which  ran  around  an 
open  court.  There  were  trees  and  things  down 
there;  but,  although  the  moon  w\as  shining 
brightly,  making  everything  clear  around 
me,  the  court  was  in  deep  shadow,  and  one's 
imagination  could  fill  it  with  anything  wild 
and  weird. 

After  making  Lena  as  comfortable  as  I 
could,  I  sat  down  to  think  what  was  best  for 
me  to  do.  I  had  asked  Mr.  Friedlander  to 
tell  the  Doctor  where  I  was,  so  that  he  would 
be  able  to  find  me  in  the  morning.  As  I  had 
his  watch  and  money  and  a  small  box  of  val- 
uables with  me,  I  thought  it  possible  he  might 
hunt  me  up  during  the  night,  if  he  got  the 
baggage  all  right.  So  I  put  my  feet  on  the 
chair,  and  sitting  on  the  cot  at  Lena's  feet,  I 
managed  to  get  into  a  partly  reclining  posi- 
tion, using  my  bag  for  a  pillow.  The  air  was 
so  soft  and  refreshing  after  the  heat  of  the  day 
that  one  did  not  feel  the  need  of  much  cover- 
ing, and  my  ever-serviceable  shawl  answered 
for  both  of  us. 

About  twelve  o'clock  the  Doctor  came 
around  to  tell  me  that  the  mule  with  my  bag- 
gage had  come  in,  with  the  trunks  all  right ; 
but  my  bonnet-box  had  been  taken  of!  and 


TO    CALIFORNIA     IN    '52.  57 

some  other  person's  heavy  trunk  put  in  its 
place.  The  agents  were  very  sorry  about  it, 
but  thought  that  it  would  be  put  on  some 
other  mule,  and  probably  get  in  before  morn- 
ing. So  the  Doctor,  leaving  particular  in- 
structions to  have  it  put  with  our  other  bag- 
gage, came  to  look  after  me.  He  was  so  sorry 
to  find  me  in  such  a  miserable  place  that  he 
would  gladly  have  taken  me  to  his  friend's 
house,  late  as  it  was.  But  I  was  so  completely 
tired  out  that  nothing  could  induce  me  to 
jnake  the  change;  so  he  gave  up  the  idea  of 
going  out  himself,  and  camped  somewhere  in 
the  old  house. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  only  shut  my 
eyes  again  when  loud  talking  and  the  sound 
of  many  feet  in  the  wide  corridor  put  to  flight 
all  thoughts  of  sleep.  I  soon  found  out  the 
cause  of  the  commotion.  The  steerage  passen- 
gers all  walked  across  the  Isthmus.  Some 
took  the  upper  (or  Cruces)  trail,  and  others 
the  lower  one — the  same  that  we  came  over. 
Travellers  over  both  routes  had  arrived  near- 
ly together,  and  finding  all  the  cots  taken,  or 
not  wishing  to  pay  for  one,  had  got  permis- 
sion to  sleep  on  the  balcony  around  the  court. 
From  the  noise  they  made,  I  thought  there 
were  hundreds  of  them. 


58  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

Some  were  so  near  my  door  tliat  I  could 
hear  their  conversation,  and  something  cauglit 
my  ear  which  aroused  my  keenest  attention. 
They  were  telling  some  others  of  the  men  who 
had  not  been  with  them  about  a  man  who, 
they  said,  had  been  "  fool  enough  to  talk  to  a 
pretty  woman"  at  a  place  where  they  stopped 
for  water.  He  was  warned  against  it;  but 
having  taken  just  enough  liquor  to  be  brave, 
persisted  in  his  attention  a  little  too  long,  and 
was  stabbed  to  the  heart  by  the  husband,  who 
was  hiding  near  the  house. 

The  man's  companions  at  first  ran  away, 
but  afterwards  gathered  a  few  new-comers, 
and  returned  to  see  if  there  was  any  life  in 
him.  But  he  was  "sure  enough  "dead.  His 
body  was  thrown  aside  in  the  bushes,  and  the 
men  passed  on.  No  one  seemed  to  know  him, 
and  there  was  no  time  for  burial.  The  great 
ship  was  waiting  for  us,  and  one  man  more  or 
less  did  not  count.  If  he  had  friends  any- 
where who  looked  for  him,  they  looked  in 
vain,  and  then  counted  him  with  many  others 
w^ho  started  on  that  perilous  journey,  and 
were  left  on  the  way,  either  by  sickness,  acci- 
dent, or  murder.  When  I  told  the  Doctor 
what  I  had  heard,  he  was  more  than  ever  con- 
vinced he  had  a  very  narrow  escape. 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  59 

I  sat  at  my  door  that  night  while  the  moon 
lasted,  looking  at  the  ruins  of  churches  and 
other  buildings,  which  were  quite  near  me. 
One  had  a  particular  fascination  for  me.  There 
were  four  immense  openings,  with  rounded 
arches  joined  to  a  wide  cornice.  All  were 
overgrown  with  ivy,  vines,  and  ferns,  which 
swayed  on  top,  or  swung  in  the  openings  with 
every  gentle  breeze.  When  the  moon  left  me 
in  darkness,  I  made  another  attempt  to  sleep. 
I  may  have  succeeded  ;  but  as  the  Babel  of 
donkey-bells  commenced  jingling  at  daylight, 
it  must  have  been  for  a  very  short  time  indeed. 
The  steerage  passengers  made  haste  to  leave 
the  balcony  and  get  to  the  ship,  hoping  to 
secure  a  choice  of  bunks. 

As  soon  as  all  had  gone,  I  looked  out  again 
for  my  ruin,  and  found  it  more  fascinating 
even  than  during  the  night.  The  sun  was 
gilding  the  towers  and  tree-tops,  and  over  all 
were  sailing  in  their  slow,  majestic  flight  great 
numbers  of  buzzards.  I  thought  I  had  never 
seen  anything  so  beautiful  as  their  movements 
were, — and  they  were  so  far  away  I  could  not 
know  they  were  *'  noisome  to  sight  and  another 
sense."  I  am  glad  now  that  I  then  knew  noth- 
ing of  their  unlovely  nature, — for  the  picture 
of  that  ruin  in  the  morning  light  will  remain 


60  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

with  me  as  one  of  the  most  charming  memo- 
ries of  my  life. 

The  steamer  was  advertised  to  sail  at  ten 
o'clock,  and  it  was  nine  before  the  Doctor  made 
his  appearance.  I  suppose  I  ought  to  have 
been  anxious  about  him,  and  fearful  of  being 
left  behind.  But  I  could  do  nothing  but  wait. 
I  think  I  never  cared  less  w^hat  became  of  me. 
He  hunted  up  the  servant,  and  got  her  prom- 
ise to  bring  me  some  breakfast,  while  he  went 
out  for  one  more  hunt  for  my  bonnet-box. 
My  breakfast  consisted  of  some  black  liquid 
in  a  coffee-cup  and  a  piece  of  dark-looking 
bread.  There  had  been  sugar  put  in  the  cup, 
and  when  I  stirred  the  liquid  it  gave  forth 
such  a  grating  sound  that  I  concluded  1  did 
not  want  sweetening  in  mine.  So,  dipping 
the  bread  in  the  cup,  we  ate  what  we  could, 
hoping  for  nothing  but  to  sustain  life  until  we 
reached  the  steamer. 

While  waiting  for  the  Doctor,  I  asked  the 
servant  what  kind  of  a  house  it  was  in  which 
I  had  passed  the  night.  She  told  me  it  had 
been  a  grand  house;  but  when  the  travel  be- 
came so  great,  with  such  a  demand  for  sleeping 
facilities,  it  had  been  turned  into  one  great 
barn-like  room,  filled  with  standees,  cots,  and 
bunks,  where  hundreds  of  men  could  spend 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  61 


the  night.  Onl}^  a  few  rooms  had  been  left 
intact  for  the  use  of  the  family,  and  where  I 
had  spent  the  night  was  one  of  them,  and 
seemed  quite  apart  from  the  living  portion  of 
the  house.  It  was  not  a  pleasant  situation  to 
think  over;  but  I  was  as  safe  probably  as  I 
am  at  this  moment,  and  I  doubt  if  any  one 
knew  a  woman  was  there,  or  if  they  had  known, 
would  have  eared.  It  was  wholly  a  time  of 
each  one  for  himself. 

At  last  the  Doctor  came  for  us.  He  had 
waited  as  long  as  possible,  hoping  to  get  my 
box,  but  was  forced  to  give  it  up  and  send  the 
other  baggage  out  to  the  steamer. 

I  may  as  well  give  the  sequel  to  the  box 
affair  here  as  elsewhere.  When  I  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  I  went  to  Adams  Express  Office 
and  reported  my  loss.  I  gave  the  whole  his- 
tory of  Mr.  Adams'  personal  efforts  in  getting 
my  tickets,  ordering  particular  transportation 
across  the  Isthmus,  and  the  desertion  of  our 
muleteer  and  the  loss  of  my  box,  for  which  I 
claimed  three  hundred  dollars.  I  found  after- 
ward I  could  not  have  replaced  its  contents  in 
California  for  twice  that  amount.  They  took 
down  my  statements  very  carefully,  and  on 
the  next  trip  the  steamer  made  she  brought 
my  box,  which   was  forwarded    to  me  many 


62  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

miles  in  the  country,  with  everything  in  it  as 
nice,  and  sweet,  and  safe  as  if  it  had  never 
been  lost  or  strayed  away.  I  fancy  from  what 
Mr.  Adams  told  me  when  he  afterward  came 
to  California  that  the  transportation  office  in 
Panama  got  a  raking  over  and  muleteers  some 
rough  handling,  which  made  baggage  much 
safer  after  that  time,  particularly  light  articles. 
Before  that  they  had  been  nearly  all  plun- 
dered or  stolen  outright.  I  saw  many  persons 
who  had  lost  their  light  baggage  in  the  same 
way  I  had,  but,  unlike  myself,  never  recov- 
ered it. 

The  things  that  impressed  me  most  that 
morning,  as  we  made  our  way  to  the  steamer, 
were,  first,  the  streets,  which  w^ere  no  streets — 
just  a  strip  of  ground  paved  with  cobble-stones, 
so  laid  as  to  dip  toward  the  centre,  forming  a 
gutter  for  surplus  water.  Then  the  absence 
of  teams, — I  don't  remember  having  seen  a 
vehicle  of  any  kind.  Only  mules,  mules  every- 
where! Then  the  absence  of  people,  who  all 
seemed  to  have  gone  somewhere  in  the  early 
morning,  for  there  were  plenty  of  people  at 
that  time, — some  to  church,  others  to  market, 
and  others  still  to  labor. 

Soon  we  came  in  sight  of  the  great  steamer 
lying  far  out  in  the  bay.   How  were  we  to  get 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  63 

to  it?  There  was  no  wharf  or  landing-place. 
We  were  now  close  to  the  water,  which  came 
up  in  gentle  ripples  near  our  feet.  All  about 
in  the  water  were  natives,  big  and  little,  old 
and  young,  and  among  these  little  boats  were 
tossing  idly  about.  Farther  out,  nearer  tho 
steamer,  many  large  barges,  or  lighters,  were 
hurrying  along,  each  one  trying  to  get  its 
human  freight  first  on  board.  I  saw  all  this, 
and  still  thought  how  were  we  to  get  there? 
But  I  had  learned  not  to  ask  questions! 

All  at  once,  without  a  word  of  warning,  I 
was  orrabbed  from  behind.  One  black  arm 
was  around  my  waist,  another  under  my  knees, 
and  I  was  lifted  up  and  carried  straight  out 
into  the  water.  I  wanted  to  scream,  but  a  laugh 
from  the  Doctor  and  a  shout  from  Lena,  who 
were  treated  the  same  w^ay,  changed  my  mind. 
The  water  deepened  so  gradually  that  it  seemed 
a  long  time  before  we  reached  one  of  the  little 
boats  which  I  had  looked  upon  as  idle  things, 
and  into  which  we  were  dumped  without  cere- 
mony. One  native  was  safficent  to  row  us  out 
to  one  of  the  lighters;  the  others  waded  back 
to  shore.  Our  lighter  was  the  last  to  reach 
the  steamer,  and  as  we  came  up  to  her,  there 
were  two  still  to  unload  before  our  turn  came. 

There   were  no  women  or  children  on  the 


64  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

other  boats,  and  only  Lena  and  myself  on  ours. 
It  was  high  noon,  and  the  heat  was  intense. 
I  doubted  if  I  could  live  until  those  boats  were 
unloaded,  with  that  terrible  sun  pouring  its 
rays  on  my  unprotected  head.  Captain  Pat- 
terson, who  commanded  the  "Golden  Gate," 
was  standing  at  the  stairs  by  which  the  pas- 
sengers got  on  board,  and  seeing  Lena  and 
myself  waiting  in  the  sun,  ordered  one  of  his 
men  to  pass  us  over  the  other  boats  and  on  to 
the  steamer. 

The  natives  made  no  objection  to  Lena  and 
I  being  so  passed,  but  when  the  Doctor  at- 
tempted to  follow,  he  was  set  upon  and  held 
back.  I  heard  the  noise  and  confusion  of 
tongues,  and  when  I  reached  the  top  of  the 
stairs  I  looked  around  just  in  time  to  see  a 
native  thrust  his  knife,  as  I  thought,  into  the 
Doctor's  heart. 

A  shout  went  out  from  everybody,  natives, 
sailors,  and  passengers,  and  in  an  instant  the 
offender  w-as  thrown  into  the  w^ater,  and  made 
to  gain  the  shore  as  best  he  might.  It  w-as  no 
lack  of  intent  on  his  part  that  he  did  not  kill 
when  he  struck,  but  his  knife  was  caught  on 
an  uplifted  arm,  and  before  he  could  repeat 
the  blow  he  was  plunged  into  the  water.  Some 
one  tied  a  handkerchief  around  the  Doctor's 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  65 

arm,  and  he  came  up  to  where  I  was  standing, 
looking  very  white,  and  the  whole  of  his  shirt 
front  spattered  with  blood.  He  was  taken  to 
the  surgeon's  room  and  his  arm  dressed;  but 
an  artery  had  been  cut,  and  he  was  much 
weakened  from  loss  of  blood. 


66  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 


PART   III. 

AT  any  time  tliis  sight  would  have  been 
distressing  to  me;  but  my  three  days  of 
exhausting  travel  and  nights  of  unrefreshing 
sleep  had  so  unnerved  me  that  I  could  bear 
no  more.  I  sank  down  on  a  coil  of  rope,  and, 
although  I  did  not  faint,  I  was  very  near  in- 
sensibility. I  knew  people  were  coming  and 
going — getting  settled,  I  supposed;  but  I  could 
do  nothing  but  wait.  Lena  lay  on  my  arm, 
quite  content  to  look  on  as  long  as  she  was 
with  me. 

After  a  while  some  one  came  along,  and  see- 
ing me  in  such  an  uncomfortable  position, 
took  Lena  and  put  her  on  a  skylight,  and 
helped  me  to  a  bench  beside  her.  He  put  my 
shawls  and  bags  about  us,  and  I  then  felt 
quite  indifferent  as  to  what  else  might  liap- 
pen.  The  steamer  had  started  out,  and  a 
refreshing  breeze  seemed  to  promise  a  chance 
for  life  again.  [  began  to  realize  that  the 
deck  was  gradually  clearing,  and  that  soon  I 
would  be,  as  once  before  on  the  "  Illinois," 
quite  alone  there. 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  67 

I  asked  the  first  person  I  saw  who  looked 
intelligent  enough  to  deliver  a  straight  mes- 
sage, to  ask  the  purser  to  "  please  come  to  me." 
When  he  came  I  stated  to  him  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  my  ticket  and  loss  of 
berth  on  the  "Illinois."  He  heard  my  story, 
and  said  he  would  investigate.  Soon  he  came 
back  with  the  same  story  I  had  been  told 
before, — "  A  party  from  New  York  had  the 
stateroom,  and  would  not  leave  it," — but  he 
(the  purser)  would  give  me  another  just  as 
good. 

I  knew  what  that  meant,  and  was  determined 
I  would  not  be  imposed  upon  again.  I  asked 
to  see  the  captain.  The  purser  said  all  he 
could  to  persuade  me  to  take  another  berth, 
"just  while  he  could  arrange  things,"  he  said. 
I  insisted  upon  seeing  the  captain,  and  said  I 
would  wait  there  all  night,  if  need  be;  but 
take  any  other  berth  than  the  one  I  was  en- 
titled to,  I  would  not! 

Finding  I  really  meant  what  I  said,  he  sent 
Captain  Patterson  to  me.  Again  I  went  over 
the  story  of  my  ticket.  He  listened  politely, 
and  then  asked  if  I  had  an  escort  or  any  one 
else  who  knew  of  the  circumstances.  Yes; 
Adams  Express  messenger  had  charge  of  me 
on  the  steamers.     Dr.  Mott  took  charge  of  me 


68  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

on  the  Isthmus.  '' Where  were  they  ?"  The 
messenger  was  probably- looking  after  his  ex- 
press matter,  and  Dr.  Mott  was  the  gentleman 
who  w^as  wounded  while  trying  to  pass  me 
over  the  lighters,  and  had  gone  to  the  sur- 
geon's room.  The  captain  began  to  look 
interested.  "But,"  I  said,  "  there  are  several 
gentlemen  on  board  to  whom  the  captain  of 
the  'Illinois'  had  told  my  trouble,  and  he 
assured  them  I  should  have  my  proper  place 
on  this  side."  When  I  named  them,  he  said 
he  would  see  about  it  and  return  soon,  and 
advised  me  to  take  another  berth  until  he  had 
arranged  matters.  But  I  was  not  to  be  caught 
that  way  again,  and  declined  with  thanks, 
saying  I  preferred  to  make  only  one  change. 

It  was  not  very  long  before  he  came  back 
with  Mr.  Friedlander,  who  corroborated  all  I 
had  said,  and  was  quite  determined  to  see  me 
righted  on  this  side,  if  he  could  do  anything 
towards  it.  Again  the  captain  offered  me  the 
use  of  a  stateroom  to  rest  in  while  he  could 
make  the  changes  necessary ;  and  with  Mr. 
Fried  lander's  assurance  that  he  would  take 
tlie  matter  into  his  own  hands,  I  accepted  and 
"  retired  in  good  order." 

Oh,  the  luxury  of  clean  face  and  hands  and 
a  change  of  clothing!     Add  to  that  a  bowl  of 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IX    '52.  69 

clean  gruel,  served  by  a  clean  woman,  instead 
of  a  nasty  peon,  and  our  satisfaction  was  com- 
plete. 

Toward  evening  Captain  Patterson  and  Mr. 
Friedlander  again  presented  themselves — this 
time  with  an  attendant — to  transfer  our  belong- 
ings to  our  own  quarters,  and  for  the  second 
time  on  that  journey  I  felt  I  was  making  a 
triumphant  procession!  Thanks  to  my  persis- 
tence, or  stubbornness,  my  roommates  on  the 
other  side  had  gained  their  rights,  and  were 
settled  in  stateroom  K,  first  cabin,  much  to 
their  comfort  and  gratification.  The  "  parties 
from  New  York  "  were  ousted,  and  none  knew 
whither  they  went. 

Every  one  that  afternoon  was  engaged  in 
a  private  "cleaning-up  spell,"  but  at  dinner 
time  all  were  cheerful,  and  disposed  to  look 
upon  our  troubles  as  being  over.  During  the 
night,  however,  there  seemed  much  noise  and 
confusion,  and  next  morning  the  breakfast 
tables  were  comparatively  deserted.  We  soon 
learned  the  cause,  which  was  that  many  of 
our  passengers  had  been  taken  sick  with  a 
more  or  less  serious  attack  of  fever.  Almost 
every  one  who  had  eaten  freely  of  fruit  at 
Panama  was  affected,  and  it  seemed  almost 
impossible  for  any  one  to  abstain  when  the 


70  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

heat  was  so  great  and  the  water  so  bad.  Many 
had  bought  fruit  and  brought  it  on  board  the 
steamer,  partaking  of  it  before  going  to  bed. 
Of  those,  I  believe,  none  escaped  the  fever. 

Before  daylight  one  man  died,  and  during 
the  next  two  da3^s  there  were  sixty  cases  of 
fever  and  nine  deaths!  This  state  of  things 
was  not  generally  known;  but  Dr.  Holman, 
the  ship's  surgeon,  was  one  of  the  sick,  and 
Dr.  Mott  had  taken  his  place  among  the  pa- 
tients. Of  course,  I  knew  what  only  a  few 
others  did. 

The  day  was  Sunday,  and  it  was  the  custom 
for  the  captain  to  read  a  service.  He  thought 
this  a  fitting  time  to  commit  "our  brother" 
to  the  deep.  So  we  gathered  on  deck  about 
noon.  The  Episcopal  service  was  read,  and 
some  ver}^  good  singing  followed.  Then  the 
body  was  brought  out  and  placed  on  a  plank 
where  all  could  see  it.  It  had  been  sewn  up 
in  a  sail-cloth,  and  was  weighted  sufficiently 
to  insure  a  deep  resting-place.  The  service  for 
burial  at  sea  was  read,  and  then  the  wheels 
were  stopped.  The  men  uncovered  their  heads, 
the  plank  was  tipped  over  the  side,  and  a 
splash  of  water  told  the  rest. 

It  is  safe  to  sky  that  of  those  who  witnessed 
this  ceremony  all  who  were  at  all  indisposed 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IX    '52.  71 

took  to  their  berths  and  were  very  sure  they 
had  the  fever.  The  well  ones  told  the  sick  of 
this  scene,  and  before  night  there  was  such  an 
alarming  increase  of  new  patients,  and  the 
old  ones  were  so  much  worse,  that  the  captain 
and  doctors  held  a  consultation  and  decided 
upon  a  different  course.  The  sick  were  iso- 
lated as  much  as  possible.  We  were  told  every- 
body was  getting  well  and  that  nobody  died. 
This  view  of  the  case  really  had  a  good  effect 
and  lessened  the  terror  of  the  fever. 

After  this  when  a  soul  passed  away  nothing 
was  said  about  it,  and  when  niglit  came  on 
the  ocean  received  the  body,  and  not  so  much 
as  one  revolution  of  the  wheel  was  stayed. 
This  was  the  easier  done  from  the  fact  that 
a  majority  of  the  sick,  and  I  believe  all  who 
died,  were  steerage  passengers,  and  had  no 
one  to  particularly  care  for  them.  Of  the 
saloon  and  stateroom  passengers,  all  recovered 
after  a  few  days'  illness;  but  I  believe  the 
malarial  symptoms  would  recur  years  after. 
One  doctor  stoutly  maintained  that  if  a  per- 
son once  had  Panama  fever  it  was  never  wholly 
eradicated  from  the  system. 

Lena  and  I  escaped  entirely,  and  I  believe 
it  was  due  to  caution  in  eating  and  drinking. 
We  drank  no  water  unless  in  tea  or  coffee  and 


72  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

ate  no  fruit  except  oranges,  and  these  onh^  in 
the  morning  before  breakfast.  They  were  a 
great  thin-skinned,  delicious  fruit,  and  we  were 
never  without  them. 

By  the  time  we  reached  Acapulco,  where  we 
stopped  to  coal,  there  were  no  new  cases  of 
fever,  and  most  of  the  old  ones  were  in  a  fair 
way  to  recovery. 

At  Acapulco  were  many  people  who  made 
great  efforts  to  get  on  our  steamer.  There  had 
been  a  shipwreck  ninety  miles  below^,  and  of 
those  who  were  saved  many  had  reached  that 
place,  and  were  now  very  anxious  to  get  on 
some  vessel  going  to  San  Francisco.  We  had 
been  from  the  first  very  much  crowded,  but 
I  am  sure  we  saw  many  strange  faces  after 
we  left  that  port. 

While  we  were  lying  there,  the  captain  came 
to  the  ladies'  saloon  with  a  pitiful  story  of  a 
woman  who  had  been  shipwrecked,  and  was 
now  at  Acapulco,  so  very  sick  that  the  Sisters 
had  taken  her  to  the  convent  and  were  trying 
to  save  her  life.  The  person  who  had  charge 
of  her  had  been  to  Captain  Patterson,  and 
begged  him  to  take  her  on  his  steamer,  as  he 
was  sure  she  would  never  recover  in  that  hot 
climate.  There  was  no  stateroom,  or  even 
berth,  unoccupied;  but  the  captain  said  there 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  73 

could  be  a  place  made  for  her  in  our  saloon,  if 
we  did  not  object.  No  one  did  object;  but 
it  was  not  a  pleasant  prospect  to  have  a  per- 
son in  our  sight  who  might  die  at  any  mo- 
ment. However,  she  was  brought  in  on  a 
mattress, — and  I  never  saw  a  living  being  look 
so  deathly.  One  good  soul  on  board  saw  her 
doleful  state,  and  gave  up  his  stateroom  to 
her.  She  was  moved  into  it  the  next  morn- 
ing. From  the  moment  she  came  on  board 
she  began  to  mend,  and  before  we  reached  San 
Francisco  was  comparatively  well.  She  after- 
ward married  Mr.  Peck,  of  the  firm  of  Well- 
man,  Peck  &  Co.,  and  became  rather  notable 
in  connection  with  a  long  lawsuit  involving 
her  husband's  estate,  which  she  gained  but 
did  not  live  long  to  enjoy. 

The  day  after  we  left  Acapulco  the  captain 
had  some  trouble  with  one  of  the  stowaways, 
who  had  got  on,  no  one  knew  how,  at  that 
place.  The  man  had  been  ordered  to  do 
something  and  had  not  obeyed  with  the  alac- 
rity desirable  on  shipboard,  for  which  he 
was  sent  to  the  coal-hole.  If  there  is  any 
hotter  place  than  a  coal-hole  on  a  steamer  in 
the  tropics,  mortals  have  not  yet  found  it,  or 
a  way  to  live  in  it,  and  this  poor  fellow  quiet- 
ly lay  down  and  died  after  a  few  hours'  trial. 


74  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

Some  one  saw  the  man  lying  there,  and  re- 
ported to  the  captain.  He  said  the  man  was 
j)robably  shamming,  and  ordered  a  whipping 
unless  he  went  on  with  his  work.  The  man 
did  not  mind  that  a  bit,  and  persisted  in  being- 
dead,  which  seemed  to  irritate  the  captain, 
-and  made  him  think  something  really  ought 
to  be  done  about  it.  So  that  night  he  got  the 
doctors  together,  and  they  made  a  pod  mortem 
examination  and  found  it  was  a  case  of  brain 
fever!  Probably  had  it  when  he  came  on 
board ! 

This  was  the  verdict  of  two  physicians, 
made  out  in  proper  form  and  duly  signed,  as 
I  understood,  for  future  reference,  in  case  any 
question  arose  about  tlie  man's  death.  The 
passengers'  verdict  was  a  little  different,  being 
that  the  man  died  of  hunger  and  thirst  in  a 
coal-hole  in  the  tropics. 

This  was  our  last  unpleasant  experience. 
The  sea  was  calm,  the  nights  beautiful.  While 
the  moon  lasted,  we  would  go  on  the  wheel- 
house  and  watch  the  phosphorescent  light  on 
the  water,  looking  as  if  we  were  in  reality 
sailing  over  a  silver  sea.  The  sight  would 
charm  us  into  silence  for  a  while;  then  some 
one  would  hum  a  tune,  one  and  another  would 
fall  in  with   some  old-fashioned  air,  and  we 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  id 

would  wind  up  with  all  sorts  of  tunes,  or  no 
tune  at  all. 

During  the  day  how  delightfully  lazy  we 
were !  Those  of  us  who  had  a  bit  of  embroidery 
about  thought  we  worked  some,  but  the  result 
was  not  worth  mentioning.  Every  day  some 
incident  arose  in  our  little  world  which  caused 
as  much  gossip  as  though  we  were  on  land  and 
had  our  daily  paper.  I  will  say  this  much  in 
our  favor:  there  were  no  quarrels  or  bicker- 
ings, which  I  was  told  was  very  unusual,  and 
we  rather  dreaded  the  breaking  up  of  our 
pleasant  intercourse. 

We  had  only  one  rough  day  on  this  side. 
While  passing  Cape  St.  Lucas  we  were  beaten 
and  banged  about  in  a  rough  sea,  just  as  we 
were  going  down  for  breakfast.  Some  returned 
to  their  berths,  and  others  persisted  in  their 
efforts  to  dress,  with  varying  success.  Others 
still,  who  felt  like  the  canny  Scot  who  had 
^'  contracted  for  his  food  "  and  meant  to  get  his 
money's  worth,  went  to  breakfast  only  to  fight 
their  way  on  deck  again,  and  set  down  that 
meal  to  account  of  profit  and  loss. 

Sometimes  we  saw  a  sail  at  a  distance,  and 
again  a  school  of  porpoises.  Anything,  every- 
thing, little  or  big,  caused  a  rush  on  deck  and 
animated  discussion  or  exchange  of  opinion. 


76  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

But  as  we  neared  the  end  of  our  journey, 
all  other  interests  were  swallowed  up  in  the 
one  anxiety  of  how  much  were  we  going  to 
beat  all  former  records.  Twenty-five  days 
was  the  shortest  time  in  which  the  trip  had 
been  made;  but  Captain  Patterson  had  said 
he  thought  the  "Illinois"  and  "Golden  Gate," 
being  then  the  two  fastest  boats  running  to- 
gether, could  n\ake  it  in  twenty  days,  or  in 
twenty-two  at  the  outside. 

Now,  as  we  sighted  San  Diego,  we  realized  it 
was  to  be  no  twenty  days'  trip  for  us,  and  some 
bets  were  made  as  to  how  much  less  than  the 
twenty-five  days'  record  we  should  make.  San 
Diego  seemed  a  place  of  great  interest  to  every- 
body. It  was  the  first  land  in  sight,  and  to 
those  who  had  been  to  California  before  wa& 
as  dear  to  their  hearts  as  though  their  lives 
had  been  spent  there.  But  it  was  "  Old  Cal- 
ifornia! Hurrah  and  hurrah!  for  the  bang- 
upest  place  in  the  whole  world!"  P^very  glass 
was  brought  out  and  levelled  at  what  was  sup- 
posed to  be  San  Diego;  but  as  the  captain's 
desire  was  to  keep  as  far  out  to  sea  as  he  could 
consistently  with  his  proper  course,  I  doubt  if 
many  of  those  who  so  persistently  glued  their 
eyes  to  their  glasses  really  saw  the  land.  But 
it  was  "San  Diego"  and  "San   Deago"  and 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  77 

''San  Daigo"all  day,  every  individual  using 
a  pronunciation  to  suit  himself. 

AVhen  the  "Golden  Gate"  went  down  to 
Panama  for  us,  she  had  taken  San  Francisco 
papers,  which  had  been  sought  after  with  the 
greatest  interest.  There  had  been  an  election 
of  some  kind,  and  followers  of  both  parties 
were  on  our  ship.  Two  nights  before  we  ar- 
rived, every  stateroom  seemed  to  be  holding  a 
political  meeting.  Speeches,  hurrahs,  and 
songs  made  sleep  impossible.  I  do  not  know 
in  the  least  what  it  was  all  about.  One  of  the 
songs  was  of  tliat  kind  where  there  are  any 
number  of  verses  made  to  order,  and  the  chorus 
— in  which  everybody  joined — was, "  And  Solo- 
men  Heydenfeldt !  "  This  seemed  to  please  both 
parties  immensely,  and  hearty  cheers  always 
followed  its  utterance. 

We  reached  San  Francisco  in  the  evening 
of  the  twenty-third  day  out — beating  all  other 
records  by  two  and  a  half  days,  which,  if  not 
all  we  wished,  was  a  heat,  anyhow.  A  pilot- 
boat  came  out,  bringing  papers,  which  were 
eagerly  sought  by  those  who  knew  anything 
of  the  country.  For  us  who  were  strangers  a 
quiet  night's  rest  seemed  the  best  preparation 
for  the  new  life  we  were  to  begin  the  next  day. 
I  do  not  know  if  any  one  else  slept.     I  know 


78  ACROSS    THE    ISTHMUS 

I  did  not,  but  am  only  telling  one  woman's 
experience,  and  how  she  felt  about  it. 

We  lay  out  in  the  bay  that  night,  and  the 
next  morning  steamed  up  to  the  wliarf  in  the 
bright  and  beautiful  sunshine.  The  strangest 
sight  then  was  the  forest  of  dismantled  ships. 
It  seemed  to  me  there  were  hundreds  of  them, 
and  their  blackened  spars  cut  out  sharply 
against  the  blue  sky  without  a  particle  of  canvas 
on  them.  The  ships  had  been  deserted  by  their 
crews,  and  the  sails  taken  for  tents,  either  here 
or  carried  into  the  mines.  They  were  a  sorry 
sight,  lying  there  so  idly  fretting  their  lives 
away.  Very  few  ever  floated  a  canvas  again, 
but  became  "old  hulks,"  or  were  converted 
into  storehouses.  Some  were  run  up  on  the 
Hats  as  far  as  possible,  and  served  as  founda- 
tions for  buildings  in  locations  now  considered 
the  heart  of  the  cit3\ 

As  soon  as  we  landed  I  sent  some  letters 
which  I  had  brought  with  me  to  their  ad- 
dresses. Sooner  than  I  could  have  thought 
possible,  Caleb  T.  Fay  answered  one  of  them 
in  person.  He  took  us  to  the  Rassette  House, 
where  I  was  to  wait  for  messages  from  the 
country.  He  treated  me  in  the  kindest  man- 
ner, and  during  my  three  days'  stay  there  I 
had  few  lonely  hours,  which  but  for  his  kind- 


TO    CALIFORNIA    IN    '52.  79" 

ness  I  might  have  had,  as  Lena  was  quite 
sick,  and  I  could  not  take  her  out  or  leave  her 
in  the  house  without  me. 

When  I  entered  my  room  that  first  day  I 
went  to  the  window,  which  was  a  front  one 
and  near  the  centre  of  the  building,  and  looked 
up  the  street  a  distance  which  seemed  a  few 
blocks  away.  There  all  vestige  of  a  street  van- 
ished, and  the  rickety  fences  ended  in  a  sand 
heap.  I  thought,  "Can  this  ever  be  a  city?" 
And  yet  the  spot  w^here  my  eyes  rested  that 
morning  has  been  my  well-beloved  home  for 
thirty-two  years! 

No  longer  a  sand-heap  surely — but  pleasant 
and  accessible  beyond  most  parts  of  the  city. 

When  I  left  Boston,  I  said,  "No;  I  will  never 
go  backward! "  I  have  kept  my  word,  and  no 
shadow  of  regret  has  ever  found  a  lodgment 
in  my  heart  for  my  venture.  If  days  were 
dark,  I  would  rather  have  them  here  than 
elsewhere,  and  if  bright,  they  were  all  the 
brighter  for  being  in  California. 


^ 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

^^  This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  ' 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

24Aug»63UC^ 


LD  21A-50m-ll,'62 
(D3279sl0)476B 


NtC'D  LD 

AUG  1  0  1963 


fWTCR  LFDRARY 


OCT  6     1971 


